It is quite understandable and indeed logical that the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the House of Representatives views with utmost seriousness the report that International Electricity Consumers, specifically Benin Republic, Niger Republic and the Republic of Togo owe Nigeria electricity bills to the tune of N4.14 trillion. Consequently, the committee, through its chairman, Wole Oke (PDP, Osun), has taken steps to investigate this alleged anomaly by mandating the Managing Director of the Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) Plc, Dr .Nnaemeka Eweluka, to appear before it with all relevant documents on the company’s financial transactions on its international debt profile and other matters. The NBET boss was directed to appear in person before the committee along with Dr Marilyn Amoh who served as Managing Director of NBET between 2016 and 2020.

For a country like Nigeria with a protracted record of inadequate power supply, it is scandalous that it could supply electricity to neighbouring countries for prolonged periods without demanding and obtaining payment. It is not impossible that this situation had its roots in a more affluent period of the country’s history when she projected herself as the giant of Africa and a big brother on the continent that readily bore her neighbour’s responsibilities. Given the dire economic straits currently experienced in the country, this prodigal proclivity can no longer be indulged. Even if we feel obliged to supply power to neighbouring countries, it should be a purely commercial venture with services rendered in this regard promptly paid for.

The action of the PAC of the House was prompted by the External Audit Report of the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation which indicated that these countries were owing NBET this humongous amount in unpaid electricity bills. According to the report, before the Ministry of Power directed NBET to take over the administration of these international electricity debts in March 2016, the responsibility was carried out by the Transition Company of Nigeria (TCN) prior to the electricity transition agreement. As part of its investigation into this matter, the PAC must endeavour to uncover the nature of the reported bilateral agreement on energy delivery and sales to the three countries that allowed for the accumulation of such huge arrears of debts.

From the auditor-general’s report, it could be surmised that complications in the payment arrangements between the TCN and NBEC could have contributed to the compounding of the debt and delayed payment. According to the report, while 24% of the payment received from international customers was deducted for administrative charges by the TCN, the balance of 76% was passed to NBET for the payment of generating companies’ capacity and energy bill. Consequently, the invoices issued to international electricity consumers amounted to N30.7 billion and N20.7 billion in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Perhaps efforts should be made to ease the bureaucracy involved in these transactions for greater efficiency and enhanced transparency.