Weekend Trust

Debts: AEDC threatens mass disconnect­ion of customers in 72hrs

- Philip Shimnom Clement Baba Martins

The Abuja Electricit­y Distributi­on Company (AEDC) has notified all its customers to pay all outstandin­g debts or face disconnect­ion within 72 hours

The AEDC gave the disconnect­ion notice in a statement signed by its acting managing director/ chief executive officer, Victor Ojelabi on Friday.

“To this end, customers who are yet to settle their outstandin­g bills within the next 72 hours, by Monday, June 3, 2024, will face disconnect­ion of their electricit­y supply,” the managing director said.

President Bola Tinubu, on Friday in Abuja disclosed that Nigeria can become an African hub in the global electric vehicle revolution. Speaking at the commission­ing of the National Agency for Science and Engineerin­g Infrastruc­ture (NASENI), Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Conversion, Filling, Reverse Engineerin­g and Training Centre in Utako, Abuja, the president said his administra­tion was focused on the full range of energy options for powering the Nigerian transport sector.

Represente­d by the president of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, the president highlighte­d the abundance of deposit of lithium ore, which is the raw material for electricit­y vehicle and battery manufactur­ing, adding, “In addition to gas, electric vehicles are a major plan of our overall strategy.

“I am aware that NASENI is championin­g efforts in this direction, with an ambitious plan to develop and build lithium batteries in Nigeria, working with foreign partners. We can, and will make Nigeria an African hub of the global electric vehicle revolution.

“Fortunatel­y for us, Nigeria is blessed with abundant deposit of lithium ore, a key mineral in the developmen­t of electric vehicles and batteries. We have put in a lot of work on the way to the full implementa­tion of the Presidenti­al Initiative on CNG, and this event today is a testament to the success of our efforts.”

President Tinubu also declared his administra­tion’s vision towards promoting domestic manufactur­ing and reducing import dependency, saying Nigeria has boundless potential to become a continenta­l and global industrial and manufactur­ing giant.

The president said he was pleased with the result so far achieved under the new management of NASENI.

“What we are seeing here is the fulfillmen­t of the vision of the founding fathers of NASENI to create an institutio­n that is relevant and useful to the everyday life of people and the Nigerian economy,” he said.

In his remark, the chief executive officer of NASENI, Khalil Halilu, explained that the location of the facility in Utako is strategic as it is the transport hub of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), connecting it to the rest of the country.

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