Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) has denied claim by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) that the bureau is indebted to it to the tune of N35,304,503 million for electricity supply.
The AEDC had in a paid advertorial given 86 government establishments, including the Presidential Villa, ministries, departments and agencies of government (MDAs), including BPE a 10-day notice to pay up over N47 billion debt due as at December 2023 or risk disconnection. BPE is 46th on the list of debtors that was published some three months ago.
This newspaper feasted on the nationwide concern on the embarrassment caused by the the long list of debt owned by the government establishments despite the surplus annual budgetary allocation for electricity charges to them.
Official records reveal a troubling trend: over 34 ministries, departments, and agencies, including the Nigerian Army headquartered in Abuja, were encouraged to circumvent budgetary allocations. Consequently, substantial unpaid electricity bills, totaling over N10.01 billion, have accumulated despite specific provisions in the annual national budgets.
48 hours after the publication of the report, the bureau has refuted the claim by AEDC, asserting that it does not owe any debts to the electricity company.
Reacting to the report yesterday, BPE said it does not owe any outstanding electricity bills. “On the contrary, it is the AEDC that owes the BPE,” the head, public communications at the bureau, Amina Othman said in a statement.
Othman said the BPE further clarified that it adheres to a practice of paying its electricity bills in advance annually, ensuring timely settlement and a clear record of financial obligations. Thus, the assertion that the BPE has neglected its electricity payments is misleading and categorically denied, she said.
Claiming that she was not aware of the advertorial and news commentaries that trailed the AEDC claim, Othman said her office should have been contacted to verify.
“To substantiate our position and clarify the inaccuracies presented, we provide evidence of payment and acknowledgments from the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC). This documentation serves to reaffirm our commitment to transparency and accountability in our financial practices,” she said.
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