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Federal ministries in Abuja's Secretariat face a second week without electricity from AEDC due to unpaid bills, impacting productivity. Some officials resort to working from home. Phase 1 remains in darkness, while Phase 3 resolves its debt. Ministry of Finance maintains operations with generators amid power woes.

For the second consecutive week, many ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) based in Abuja's Federal Secretariat have been without electricity due to disconnection by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), according to a report by LEADERSHIP. The investigation revealed that most MDAs have accumulated significant debts to the AEDC, prompting the power firm to disconnect them despite earlier warnings and public notices in national newspapers.

LEADERSHIP initially reported the one-week-long power outage at the secretariat, which persists unchanged as of yesterday's visit by their reporters. This prolonged blackout has forced several ministers and senior officials to work from home, while employees within the secretariat expressed frustration over reduced productivity in their darkened offices.

An anonymous senior director from the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation disclosed that their office remains unaffected by the outage due to a solar power system installed by the Head of Service. However, many offices in Blocks A and C, not connected to this system, remain completely dark unless powered by expensive diesel generators.

The power crisis primarily affects Phase 1 of the Federal Secretariat, where MDAs like the Federal Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Ministry of Labour and Productivity, and Ministry of Communications are located. Despite efforts to resolve outstanding bills, only Phase 3 has restored electricity, while Phase 1 remains in blackout pending debt settlement.

Efforts to reach AEDC for comment on the matter were unsuccessful at the time of reporting, underscoring the ongoing challenges faced by MDAs in Abuja's administrative hub amidst the lingering power crisis.

Source: Leadership