The Federal Government of Nigeria declared in Abuja Thursday that cost of electricity consumption in Nigeria is the cheapest and most defaulted by consumers in the world .
Federal government submission to this effect , was made during interactive session , the Senate Committee on Power , had with the Minister of State for Power , Engineer Abubakar Aliyu , and heads of various agencies in the Power sector.
The Minister in his own submission said electricity is highly subsidized in Nigeria by the federal government which made its cost , to be cheapest across the globe .
He backed up his claim by making comparative analysis of cost of electricity in Nigeria with those of the neighbouring countries.
” Cost of electricity in Nigeria is the cheapest across the globe , particularly gas to Power , which is highly subsidized .
” For example , while cost of electricity in Nigeria is 15 cent per kilowatt , it is 42 cent in Niger Republic, 23 cent in Republic of Benin , 25 cent in Mali , 28 cent in Senegal , 27 cent in Burkina Faso etc”, he said .
He however lamented that while government is doing everything possible to make electricity affordable and available for Nigerians , many of the ordinary consumers and even critical agencies of government , default in payment of bill..
Making similar lamentation , the Managing Director of Transmission Company of Nigeria ( TCN) , Engineer Sulyman Abdulaziz , said high rate of defaults on electricity bills by critical government agencies led to disconnection of Electricity Distribution Companies ( DISCOs) in Kaduna and Kano from the National grid recently .
He added that though they have been temporarily reconnected but must make payment through the affected DISCOs to TCN within the 60 days grace given .
As a way out of the problem , Chairman of the Committee , Senator Gabriel Suswam and other members like Senators Adamu Aliero , Yusuf Abubakar Yusuf etc , suggested deduction from source , electricity bills of such agencies by the Ministry of Finance .
According to Senator Suswam , one of the complaints made by the DISCOs , particularly those of Kaduna and Kano , is enormous debt incurred by them from electricity bills defaulters .
” The DISCOs as stated in the written complaint specifically mentioned military formations across the country , Educational Institutions ,, State Governments etc “, he said
