The Minister of State for Power, Abubakar Aliyu, has claimed that electricity consumption in Nigeria is the cheapest in the world and is highly subsidized by the federal government.
According to The Punch, the minister revealed this on Thursday in Abuja during an interactive session with the Senate Committee on Power and heads of various agencies in the power sector.
He supported his claim by comparing the cost of electricity in Nigeria to that of neighbouring countries, revealing that electricity in Nigeria costs 15 cents per kilowatt, while it is 42 cents in Niger Republic, 23 cents in the Republic of Benin, 25 cents in Mali, 28 cents in Senegal, and 27 cents in Burkina Faso.
He said, “The cost of electricity in Nigeria is the cheapest across the globe, particularly gas to Power which is highly subsidized.
“For example, while the cost of electricity in Nigeria is 15 cents per kilowatt, it is 42 cents in the Niger Republic, 23 cents in the Republic of Benin, 25 cents in Mali, 28 cents in Senegal, 27 cents in Burkina Faso etc.”
Aliyu expressed concerns about the high rate of defaults on electricity bills by ordinary consumers and critical government agencies.
The Managing Director of Transmission Company of Nigeria, Sulyman Abdulaziz, also lamented the high rate of defaults on electricity bills by critical government agencies, which led to the disconnection of electricity distribution companies in Kaduna and Kano from the national grid.
Abdulaziz explained that the affected DISCOs must make payment through the Transmission Company of Nigeria within the 60 days grace given.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Power, Senator Gabriel Suswam, and other members suggested that the Ministry of Finance deduct electricity bills from the source of critical government agencies that default on payment.
According to Senator Suswam, the DISCOs identified military formations across the country, educational institutions, and state governments as the biggest culprits.
In his words, “The DISCOs as stated in the written complaint specifically mentioned military formations across the country, educational institutions, state governments etc to be the greatest culprits.”
