Niger pays AEDC N3bn for transformers, services

The Secretary to Niger government, Alhaji Ahmed Matane, says the government has invested more than N3 billion in the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) for the provision of transformers, service lines and other services for communities.

Matane announced this during a news conference in Minna on Wednesday.

The AEDC on April 15 issued a notice to disconnected all government facilities from power supply over N1.9 billion debt the state government was owning the company.

The company went ahead to disconnect all government facilities such as the state house of assembly complex, state secretariat, office of the Secretary to the Niger government, waterboard and all government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

Matane said that the state government only owed the company only N1 billion of which about 50 per cent of the debt was inherited from the previous administration.

He refuted the claims by AEDC that the state government was owing the company N1.9 billion, explaining that the state government instead invested more than N3 billion into the company to purchase of transformers and other light services.

Matane said that the state government had been paying N46 million to the company monthly, adding that government had engaged a private consultant to verify the validity of the claims made by AEDC.

He noted that the present administration was a responsible government that had always created an enabling environment for investors and private organisations to thrive.

He assured the public that efforts were ongoing to ensure water supply to residents as soon as possible.