By Tina George, Minna
Niger state governor, Abubakar Sani-Bello has declared that the people of the state will no longer pay for electricity not provided by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, AEDC.
Speaking with newsmen in Minna during an interaction on Nigeria at 60, Bello disclosed that the state government pays N16 million every month, adding that there was no justification that the people of Niger state do not pay their electricity bills.
Confirming that AEDC is not supplying electricity to the people, Sani-Bello wondered why the company expects them to pay for what they were not enjoying.
He vowed that he would no longer tolerate the exploitation of his people by AEDC.
“I have engaged Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) and I discovered that there is power but the problem is with the distribution.
“As a state, we pay N16m every month and their complaint has been people are not paying for their service but I discovered that people are not refusing to pay for electricity but they are refusing to pay for the light they did not use,” the governor said.
He asked the distribution company to provide prepaid meters to the households so that people could pay for what they consumed.
“Prepaid meters should be provided instead of the estimated billing. We have offered to give loan to AEDC to provide prepaid meters to the people and pay back gradually but they refused, instead they continue to give estimated bills to the people.”
