The Association of Nigerian Electricity Distribution Company (ANED) says it is awaiting details of the N40 billion approved for the payment of electricity debts owed DisCos by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
The Executive Director of ANED, Mr Sunny Oduntan said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday that the details of the approved fund became necessary given the initial claims by the DisCos.
The Federal Government through the Ministry of Budget and National Planning at the presentation of budget breakdown earmarked N40 billion to settle reconciled outstanding electricity debt of Federal Government institutions.
The DisCos through its association had repeatedly said that it was being owed more than N100 billion for unpaid electricity consumed by MDAs.
In a bid to settle the debt, government had initiated a verification process of the claims made by DisCos to ascertain the genuineness of the debt.
President Muhammadu Buhari had also directed the full payment of all electricity debts owed DisCos in the country.
Oduntan said that it would not join issues with the government on the earmarked fund for the settlement of the debt.
“We don’t want to join issues with the government on this matter, what we are doing now, we are waiting for the details and we shall respond appropriately as soon as we get the full details.
He said that the information at the ANED’s disposal on the approved fund was in piecemeal.
According to him, it is too premature for the association to fully make its intention known on the approval without getting the details of the earmarked fund for the DisCos.
He, however, said that the DisCos had complied with the necessary documentation and reconciliation processes in respect to the verification of electricity debt owed by MDAs.
On comment credited to one of the National Commissioners of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) that DisCos board stands to be dissolved for non-performance, Oduntan said:“everything we do in this country is within the law’’.
“We are a privatised entity, we wait for NERC to officially come out with the issues that have to do with the performances of the DisCos which in their own opinion will necessitate the dissolution of the DisCos boards.
“We are not going to jump into this matter, other than just reacting to a statement made by an individual at a sectoral meeting.’’
According to him, there are procedures for every action to be taken by the regulator as stipulated by law, and DisCos awaits such before it responds appropriately.
Oduntan also said that the DisCos had done very well on metering of Maximum Demand customers (MD).
This, he said, had necessitated the non-complaint from the MD customers in the country.
Meanwhile, some of the MD customers that were yet to be metered said that they would comply fully with NERCs directive on non-payment of electricity on estimation methodology.
Oduntan also said that it was in the interest of the DisCos to fully meter the Residential Customers (RC), adding that efforts were on to fully meter them in spite of the huge capital required for such metering.
He said that it was wrong for people to misinterpret the directive of NERC on payment of electricity on estimated methodology.
“For those who are misleading the public saying that people should stop paying bills, we know what to do within the ambit of the law.
“I cannot be supplying you my product and you are not paying for it.’’
When asked the possibility of contracting the metering project to other companies as was being done in other countries given the huge capital required for metering, Oduntan said that the DisCos would cross the bridge when it gets there. (NAN)
KC/OFN/EEE
===========