Kaduna Government House pitch black due to N2.9 billion electricity debt

The dramatic battle between the Kaduna State Government and the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KAEDCO) has been played out in the open, with the latter taking the drastic step of cutting off power to the Government House over an accumulated debt of N2.9 billion.

In a statement released by the Head of Corporate Communications, AbdulAzeez Abdullahi, on Friday, KAEDCO explained that despite numerous attempts to engage state officials to resolve outstanding payments, the government has still failed to pay its electricity bills.

The power company stressed that the debt had been incurred over a significant period, with a substantial portion of it being current consumption costs.

The Kaduna Electric statement added that the outstanding balance for electricity consumed from January 2024 to July 2024 alone amounted to a staggering One Billion One Hundred Sixty Six Million Eight Hundred Fifty Six Thousand Nine Hundred Ninety One Naira Eighty Seven Kobo (N1,166,856,991.87).

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This figure, including historical debts, has left the State Government with a huge debt currently standing at Two Billion Nine Hundred and Forty Three Million Sixty Thousand One Hundred and Sixteen Naira Seventy Seven Kobo (N2,943,060,116.77), according to KAEDCO.

It was further stated that despite the latest payment of N256,920,963.88 made on May 9, 2024, for electricity consumed between September 2023 and December 2023, the debt of the Kaduna State Government is still very high.

“This payment, although large, is not enough to pay off the accumulated arrears,” he said.

The decision to cut power to the government headquarters has sent shockwaves across the state, underscoring the deepening financial challenges facing many state governments across Nigeria.

The move is also likely to worsen already strained relations between the state and its electricity distributors, raising questions about the sustainability of power supplies to other critical government facilities and the wider public.

Kaduna Government House pitch black due to N2.9 billion electricity debt first appeared on Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from Ripples Nigeria.