Niger Republic, Benin Republic, and Togo remain indebted to the Nigerian government for electricity supply, owing a total of $16.11 million for the first quarter (Q1) of 2023.
The 2023 Q1 report released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) on Wednesday in Abuja reveals that these three nations have not fulfilled their payment obligations for the electricity provided.
The report highlights that electricity was supplied to four entities across these countries: Paras-SBEE and Transcorp-SBEE from Benin Republic, Mainstream-NIGELEC from Niger, and Odukpani-CEET from Togo.
Specifically, Paras-SBEE owes $3.46 million, Transcorp-SBEE owes $3.85 million, Mainstream-NIGELEC owes $5.48 million, and Odukpani-CEET is expected to pay $3.32 million.
The consistent failure of international and bilateral customers to remit payments reflects an ongoing issue, prompting the NERC to consider taking action within the framework of market rules to address the payment irregularities demonstrated by various participants in the market.
The report states: “None of the international customers listed below have made any payments against the cumulative $16.11 million invoice issued to them in Q1 2023: Paras-SBEE ($3.46 million), Transcorp-SBEE ($3.85 million), Mainstream-NIGELEC ($5.48 million), and Odukpani-CEET ($3.32 million).
During the first quarter of 2023, the Market Operations (MO) issued invoices to all eight bilateral customers within the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI), totaling N842.38 million. However, only North-South/Star Pipe made a partial remittance of ₦15.38 million against an invoice of N24.69 million that was issued to them during the same period.