The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) is being owed over N50 billion by electricity consumers in Kwara, an official said on Tuesday in Ilorin.

The company’s Lead Media Relations, Mrs. Busolami Tunwase, disclosed this while addressing newsmen during a stakeholders’ meeting.

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.

It had said then that this was due to the backlog of unpaid electricity bills.

Giving a breakdown of the company’s revenue loss data shortly after the stakeholders’ meeting, Tunwase disclosed that electricity consumers in Jebba lead the chart with an outstanding of N25.8 billion.

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She said consumers in Baboko district followed with N18.9 billion while those in Challenge district owed the company a sum of 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 that when payments are made, service will definitely improve,” she said.

IBEDC’s Regional Manager, Mr Gabriel Eze, said a huge part of the outstanding debt was from government ministries, departments and agencies, as well as the Nigeria Air Force, Navy and Army.

The Star