NEDCo Disconnects Aliu Mahama Stadium, Two Others Over Debt

The Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) has disconnected power supply to three public institutions in the Northern Regional capital over non-payment of electricity bills. The institutions include Bagabaga College of Education, Tamale College of Education, and the Aliu Mahama Sports Stadium.

The disconnection is in line with NEDCo’s drive to recover some GH¢1.2 billion debt owed by customers. The exercise was led by the Managing Director for NEDCo, Osmani Aludiba Ayuba. The team also visited the Tamale Technical University. Out of the four institutions visited, three were disconnected for failing to honour 70 percent of their debts. Management of the Tamale Technical University assured to issue a cheque of GH¢100,000 out of the GH¢3.35 million debt owed.

According to NEDCo, it owes the Volta River Authority (VRA), the power generator an amount of GH¢1.6 billion, and the power transmitter, GRIDCO, about GH¢481 million. The Northern Regional Director for the National Sports Authority, Salamatu Alhassan whose outfit owes NEDCo GH¢466,000 requested a one-week window to honour their debt.

We know we owe, we have even sent letters to the ministry, and we will be following up. We plead that you give us up to two weeks to pay. Speaking to the press after the exercise, the Managing Director for NEDCo, Osmani Aludiba Ayuba admonished the public to voluntarily pay their debts because no defaulting customer will be spared disconnection.

We have a business to run, every day that we supply power to you the debts keep mounting and keep piling up. These two weeks you are talking about will even accumulate more debt, and we will be talking of a different amount here, so the view we hold is that, we will respectfully take off the power.