Metro
Cost Of Electricity Consumption In Nigeria Cheapest In The World – FG
THE Federal Government has said that the cost of electricity consumption in Nigeria is the cheapest and most defaulted by consumers in the world.
According to the Government, electricity is highly subsidized in Nigeria by the federal government which made its cost to be cheapest across the globe.
Speaking in Abuja during an interactive session with the Senator Gabriel Suswam, PDP, Benue North East led Senate Committee on Power, the Minister of State for Power, Engineer Abubakar Aliyu backed up his claim by making comparative analysis of cost of electricity in Nigeria with those of the neighbouring countries.
The Minister who was accompanied by heads of various agencies in the Power sector said, ” 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.”
Aliyu lamented that while government was 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.
On his part, the Managing Director of Transmission Company of Nigeria ( TCN), Engineer Sulyman Abdulaziz said that 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.
According to him, though they have been temporarily reconnected but must make payment through the affected DISCOs to TCN within the 60 days grace given.
In his remarks, Chairman of the Committee, Senator Gabriel Suswam and other members like Senators Adamu Aliero , Yusuf Abubakar Yusuf, among others on the way forward, suggested that there should be deduction from source, electricity bills of such agencies by the Ministry of Finance .
Senator Suswam who noted that one of the complaints made by the DISCOs , particularly those of Kaduna and Kano was enormous debt incurred by them from electricity bills defaulters, said, ” The DISCOs as stated in the written complaint specifically mentioned military formations across the country, Educational Institutions, State Governments etc.”
A former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, has recounted how a hospital in Plateau State did not attend to him because of the non-payment of the admission deposit.
Dalung said he fell ill on Wednesday, May 8, and went to the unnamed hospital for treatment but that the hospital refused to give him treatment because he had yet to make an admission deposit despite holding his medical records. The former minister said he regained partial consciousness later and transferred the deposit before he was attended to.
“I took ill on Wednesday, arrived at the hospital & shortly became unconscious after doctor’s interviews. Was ferried into emergency ward but abandoned for over 4 hrs due to non payments of admission deposits. Regained partial consciousness later did the transfer of deposit.
After that, I fell into unconsciousness again for about 7 hours. To God be the glory, I have been discharged after 3 days & recovering. Were it not for partial consciousness to pay the deposits, I would have been Mr. late. Many Nigerians have gone this way. Where is our humanity?
I was then admitted into the ward and given medical attention. This is the hospital that has my medical records. The last medical checkup I did about 2 months ago was there, but suddenly, I became a stranger because of non payments of deposits even with the so-called name. Hmmmm”
A Student Of Osun State Polytechnic, Iree, Osun State, has died after being hit by a trailer driver on Monday, April 15.
The Accident was said to have occurred when the driver, who was reportedly driving against traffic, collided with the motorcycle conveying a student named Olanrewaju Olatona and another passenger along the Ikirun-Osogbo road area of the state.
Due to the severe impact, Olanrewaju Olatona, a National Diploma 2 student, suffered fatal injuries. He died at the scene.
Olatona, who was the Financial Secretary of the Department of Mass Communication, was preparing for the one-year Industrial Training programme.
The driver fled the scene after the accident and has not been apprehended.
Subsequently, Osun State Polytechnic students organised a procession in front of the school gate and blocked the expressway for several hours.
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