Despite expending over N10 billion, the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company has disclosed that it could only afford less than 300,000 prepaid metres.
Making this disclosure, the Corporate Affairs Manager, AEDC, Fadipe Oyebode, said the power sector is highly and very capital intensive for the country to be able to achieve stable supply.
While responding to questions after delivering his lecture as the Keynote Speaker at the launch of “Power Update Magazine” over the weekend in Minna, Niger State, Oyebode said the population of the country is growing at a rapid rate, but the funds available for the turnaround of the power sector is not coming at the same pace.
According to him: “On the issue of cost reflective tariff, some time last year (2018), we entered into an agreement for the supply of prepaid metres to the tune of over N10 billion, just one item, and we were not able to provide up to 300,000 pieces of metres not to talk of transformers, cables, vehicles, staff salaries and so on.”
According to Oyebode, who spoke on: “The Media, Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry,” over the weekend in Minna, the AEDC is mindful of its customers’ safety and satisfaction.
Speaking on claims by some quarters that it is deliberately denying the people of Niger State electricity supply, Oyebode said: “We can only give what we have.
“The instability in the national grid has been responsible for the power challenge.
“Our desire is to see that every part of our franchise area is attended to.
“We have had instability in the grid and it is responsible for the power challenges we have in Niger State.
“There is no deliberate policy to deny Nigerlites of electricity.
“Whatever is coming to Niger is a function of what we have.
“The quantum we get is what we give out.”
Oyebode further charged consumers of electricity in Nigeria to be accountable and responsible in dealings with the AEDC.
In his remarks, the Editor-in-Chief of the magazine, Abdulhamid Idowu Adeshina, said his discovery of a vacuum in the reporting of the power sector prompted his desire to start the magazine.
According to Adeshina: “The magazine will keep all stakeholders abreast of global energy competitors, especially in the area of energy supplies, massive investment in electricity generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure and developing renewable sources.
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