The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts has directed the Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC) and the Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) to refund a combined N112.7 billion to the Federal Government within the next two months, as part of its ongoing investigation into over N2.6 trillion debts owed by power firms to the Federation Account.
The directive was issued during a public hearing on Wednesday in Abuja, chaired by Rep. Bamidele Salam, following a review of findings from the 2021 report of the Auditor-General of the Federation and documents submitted by the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) Plc.
According to NBET’s records, Jos DisCo’s total indebtedness stood at N161.7 billion as of September 2020, but the company claimed to have reduced it to N72 billion by May 2025. NBET, however, maintained that the reconciled figure was N98.7 billion, leaving a disputed balance of N26.7 billion.
After deliberation, the committee ruled that the N72 billion admitted by the company must be remitted into the Federation Account within 60 days, while both parties were given 21 days to reconcile the disputed figure and report back.
“These are public funds, and the government urgently requires them to discharge its responsibilities. The era of impunity and disregard for financial obligations in the power sector is over,” Rep. Salam declared.
Similarly, the committee ordered KEDCO to remit N40.7 billion, representing half of its verified N81.5 billion debt, within 30 days.
NBET’s data initially pegged KEDCO’s debt at N211.7 billion, later revised to N85.8 billion after reconciliation. KEDCO Managing Director, Engr. Hussani Sadiq, confirmed that N81.5 billion was verified, with another N4.3 billion still under review.
Lawmakers mandated the company to provide evidence of payment within the stipulated timeframe and submit a reconciliation report on the remaining balance within 21 days.
The committee reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring financial discipline in the power sector, warning that defaulting DisCos would face sanctions for non-compliance.
