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By Tracy Moses
The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has summoned the management of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), and Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHEDC) over unpaid liabilities estimated at over ₦100 billion owed to the Federation Account.
The committee issued a 72-hour deadline to the three electricity distribution companies during a public hearing held on Monday, warning that failure to honour the summons would attract sanctions for contempt of the National Assembly.
Chairman of the committee, Representative Bamidele Salam, gave the directive after observing that the affected Discos had repeatedly ignored earlier invitations extended to them by the committee.
The decision followed the adoption of an interim report submitted by the chairman of the committee’s subcommittee, Hon. Mark Chidi Obetta.
It will be recalled that on August 20, 2025, the PAC had summoned 11 electricity distribution companies over a combined debt of about ₦2.6 trillion owed to the Federation Account.
Despite this, the management of IBEDC, BEDC, and PHEDC have persistently failed to appear before the committee to explain their outstanding obligations, as contained in the Auditor-General’s reports for the 2021 and 2022 fiscal years.
The committee condemned the continued absence of the three Discos, describing their conduct as a willful disregard for legislative authority, and cautioned that severe penalties would be imposed if they fail to appear before the committee on Thursday, December 18, 2025.
Speaking during the hearing, Rep. Salam expressed concern over the prolonged accumulation of the debts, noting that some of the liabilities have been outstanding for more than ten years.
He emphasized the urgency of recovering the funds and ensuring proper remittance to safeguard public resources and uphold accountability in the power sector.
The PAC thereafter reaffirmed its directive, insisting that the management of the affected electricity distribution companies must appear before the committee on Thursday, December 18, 2025, to provide detailed explanations on the unpaid sums.