The Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that electricity supply has been fully restored to the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria, South Africa, following the payment of outstanding utility bills.
The restoration came after the Executive Mayor of the City of Tshwane, Nasiphi Moya, disclosed on Monday via her verified X handle that electricity to the High Commission had been disconnected over unpaid bills. According to her, the action was taken after the Mission failed to settle debts owed to the city for utility services.
“#TshwaneYaTima: We’ve disconnected electricity at the High Commission of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. They owe the city for utility services,” Moya wrote.
Reacting to the development, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kimiebi Imomotimi Ebienfa, explained that delays in the passage of Nigeria’s national budget likely contributed to the situation, as funds could not be released for payments at the time.
“If they say Nigeria has not paid in January, that means there is no money to pay in January because the budget has not been passed,” Ebienfa said.
He, however, assured that the Ministry had already engaged the Nigerian Mission in Pretoria and relevant South African authorities to address the issue promptly.
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“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is aware of the unfortunate development regarding the electricity blackout. We are in touch with our Mission in Pretoria and are doing our best to ensure the outstanding bills are paid and electricity is restored immediately to guarantee the smooth running of the Mission,” he stated.
In a follow-up statement issued on Tuesday, the Ministry confirmed that the matter had been resolved, noting that the Mission had settled the outstanding arrears and power supply had since been reconnected.
“The Ministry wishes to inform that the unfortunate issue of the disconnection of electricity supply to the High Commission of Nigeria in Pretoria has been resolved. The Mission has just informed us that the outstanding bills have been paid and electricity has been reconnected,” Ebienfa added.
