Ilorin, June 20, 2023 – Electricity consumers in Kwara State are owing Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBDC) over N50 billion.
Mrs Busolami Tunwase, the company’s Lead Media Relations Officer, disclosed this while addressing newsmen during a stakeholders meeting on Tuesday.
She said the market operator, a unit in the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), was planning to disconnect its feeders from the national grid due to poor remittances.
The management of IBEDC, had in May, alerted electricity consumers within its franchise area to expect a blackout from June due to the backlog of unpaid electricity bills.
Giving the breakdown, Tunwase said electricity consumers in Jebba district led the debtors’ chart with N25.8 billion.
She said consumers in Baboko district followed with N18.9 billion, while those in Challenge district owed the company N7.4 billion.
Tunwase said it was regrettable that the huge debt profile from Kwara was hindering the company from fulfilling its obligations to its market operators.
” But I can assure you that when payments are made, service will definitely improve.”
She advised electricity consumers who intend to procure pre-paid meters to shun third parties so as not to be defrauded.
“IBEDC will soon be flooding the market with new meters,” Tunwase said.
She urged Kwara residents to settle their outstanding electricity bills so as to enable the IBEDC management serve them well.
IBEDC Regional Manager, Mr Gabriel Eze, said the bulk of the outstanding debt was from government ministries, departments and agencies, as well as the Nigeria Air Force, Navy and Army.