The Federal Government has cleared $120million of the $1.3 billion gas debt, a longstanding issue contributing to the nation’s unresolved electricity supply challenges.
Director of the Decade of Gas Secretariat, Ed Ubong, revealed this on Thursday during the 7th Nigeria International Energy Summit in Abuja.
”As of last year, that (gas debts) was about $1.3 billion, depending on how you add up the numbers. But I am pleased that the government has paid over $120 million between October and the end of January to offset some of that money,” Ubong stated.
Since January this year, electricity consumers have continued to suffer power outages across the country.
Despite setting up a committee to tackle the challenge, Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, had blamed gas constraints for the drop in power supply in Nigeria there by causing the shortage to persist.
Also with the recent vandalism on the Transmission Company of Nigeria’s Tower 70 along the 33kV Gwagwalada-Katampe line has further worsened the situation.