By Amina Mansur
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the immediate settlement of N342m as the electricity bill of the Villa due to the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC).
This was made known in a statement signed by the President and obtained by the press; the Directive follows the reconciliation of accounts between the State House Management and AEDC.
It could be recalled that on Monday, the AEDC said it will disconnect electricity in the Presidential Villa and 86 Federal Government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies over N47.20bn outstanding debts as of December 2023. While issuing a notice of disconnection to the affected MDAs, the company warned that it has “given a 10 days’ notice to 86 Government to pay up the N47.1bn electricity debt they owe or risk disconnection.
Particularly, the publication showed that the State House owed N923m in bills, a figure the Presidency refuted Tuesday.
Countering AEDC claims of the Villa owing N923m bills, in statement signed by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the Presidency declared, “Contrary to the AEDC’s initial claim of N923m debt in paid advertorial in newspapers, the State House outstanding bill is N342.35m, according to a letter by the management of AEDC to the State House Permanent Secretary dated February 14, 2024.”