*Kano DISCO to pay N40.7bn debt in 30 Days
By Citizenship Newspaper
The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee has ordered the Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC) to pay N72 billion to the federal government within 60 days, as part of its ongoing investigation into multi-trillion naira debts owed by electricity distribution companies (DisCos) to the Federation Account.
The directive came during a public hearing held Wednesday in Abuja, chaired by Rep. Bamidele Salam, following a review of the 2021 report of the Auditor-General of the Federation and documents submitted by the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) Plc.
According to NBET, Jos DisCo’s indebtedness as of 30th September 2020 stood at N161.7 billion.
However, the company admitted to owing N72 billion as of 30th May 2025.
NBET’s representative, however, told the committee that as of the same May 2025 date, the reconciled amount owed by Jos DisCo stood at N98.7 billion, leaving a disputed balance of N26.7 billion between the two parties.
Following deliberations, the committee resolved that the admitted N72 billion must be remitted to the federal government within 60 days, and directed both NBET and Jos DisCo to reconcile the outstanding N26.7 billion within 21 days and report back to the committee.
Chairman of the committee, Rep. Salam, emphasised the importance of prompt remittances to the Federation Account, stating that the government could no longer tolerate non-compliance by operators in the power sector.
“This is public money, and the federal government urgently needs these funds to fulfill its responsibilities. We expect full compliance and accountability,” he said.
In a related development, the committee also directed the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) to pay N40.7 billion, representing 50 percent of its verified debt of N81.5 billion, within 30 days.
Initially, NBET had listed KEDCO’s debt at N211.7 billion, but after a reconciliation process between both parties, the figure was reduced to N85.8 billion.
KEDCO, led by Engr. Hussani Sadiq, acknowledged a verified indebtedness of N81.5 billion, with N4.3 billion still under dispute.
The committee instructed KEDCO to submit evidence of payment of the N40.7 billion within the 30-day deadline and to reconcile the disputed N4.3 billion within 21 days.
