FG Threatens To Revoke License Of DisCOs Over Poor Power Supply

The ongoing nationwide power shortage has prompted the federal government to threaten to revoke the licenses of power distribution companies (DisCos).

This was stated in a statement released on Wednesday in Abuja by the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu.

The ministry, according to Adelabu, is extremely concerned about the Discos' continued insufficient distribution of electricity, even though the generation companies have increased their output to 4000MW.

The minister added that in order to address the ongoing difficulties with power distribution throughout the nation, he has called the managing directors of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and the chief executives of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) and the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IEDC).

He said, “The Ministry has been exerting pressure on the Generating Companies (GENCOs) to enhance their performance, resulting in a recent increase in generation to over 4000MW.

“Despite this progress, certain distribution companies are failing to adequately distribute the power supplied by TCN, while vandalism of power infrastructure exacerbates the problem in regions such as Abuja, Benin, Port Harcourt, and Ibadan.

“Moving forward, I am committed to holding all distribution companies accountable for their performance.

“Willful non-performance will not be tolerated, and severe consequences, including license revocation, may be imposed.

“Additionally, I have instructed TCN to prioritize repair works on damaged transmission towers and power lines to improve supply in affected regions.”

Speaking further, Adelabu disclosed that actions are being taken to pay off debts owed to gas supply and power generation companies. This will lessen financial strain and improve power generation throughout the nation.