The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has revealed that Togo and Benin owe Nigeria a total of $14.19 million for electricity supplied in the first quarter of 2024. The debt is spread across four international bilateral customers: Para-SBEE and Transcorp-SBEE in Benin Republic, and Mainstream-NIGELEC and Odukpani-CEET in Togo. These companies failed to pay their respective shares of the invoice, totaling $3.15 million, $4.46 million, $1.21 million, and $5.36 million.
NERC’s report indicates that no payments were received from these foreign companies, and similarly, none of the bilateral customers within Nigeria settled their ₦1.86 million invoice for the same period. While some customers made payments towards past debts, the current trend of non-payment raises concerns. NERC has called for stricter enforcement of market rules to address this payment indiscipline and ensure compliance.
In a related note, it was previously reported that international consumers owed Nigeria approximately $51.26 million for electricity in 2023, with local consumers defaulting on around N7.61 billion. NERC urges immediate action to curb these non-payment issues.
