PHCN disconnects electricity over N8m debt

By Emman Ovuakporie

THE National Assembly was yesterday thrown into darkness as Power Holden Company of Nigeria,PHCN disconnected the complex over an alleged N8million electricity debt.

A source however revealed that the management was broke, a development that has made the legislative body unable to pay many of its utility bills in the last three months. .

On Thursday evening till 4pm yesterday, the National Assembly was without electricity. It was learnt that the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) has stopped electricity supply to the National Assembly complex following non-payment of electricity bills.

This development has forced the National Assembly to resort to its diesel powered generators to supply electricity to offices and business inside the legislative complex.

But the situation took a different shape on Thursday evening after the electricity generating plants stopped working. An operator reported that diesel needed to power the generators had finished and there was no money to refill.

On Friday, the blackout continued, crippling activities in the offices, banks and other business inside the legislative complex. Many staffers were seen leaving the complex as early as noon as a result of the blackout.

The blackout has security implications as reported by a Department of State Services (DSS) operative attached to the National Assembly. All the security scanners installed at the major entrances to the legislative quarters could not work because of the power outage, the operative reported.

It was also gathered that in the last six weeks, electricity to the legislative complex has been largely from the now packed up generating sets.

In other areas, overgrown weeds were sighted in previously beautifully manicured areas while dirt littered surroundings of the legislative complex.