Despite huge revenues accruing to Nigerian coffers, ocassioned by subsidy removal that has made state governors to have created their own fiefdoms, South Africa has cut power to Nigerian high commission over unpaid bills.
Nigerians have expressed outrage over these national embarrassments typified by collapse of national grids, strikes and threats of strikes by professional bodies like the Natioal Association of Resident Doctors, Judicial workers, among others.
Road construction in states are priced billions of naira per kilometer, while workers are wallowing in abject poverty.
South Africa’s action was confirmed on Monday by Nasiphi Moya, mayor of Tshwane, in a post on X.
According to Moya, the disconnection was carried out under the city’s #TshwaneYaTima campaign, which targets government bodies, businesses and residents with significant outstanding debts.
“#TshwaneYaTima: We’ve disconnected electricity at the High Commission of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. They owe the city for utility services,” Moya wrote.
The move is the latest in a series of power cuts involving Nigerian diplomatic facilities in South Africa. In 2023, City Power, the Johannesburg electricity distributor, disconnected supply to the Nigerian consulate in the city over an outstanding bill of about R600,000 (roughly $35,000 at the time).
Again, in September last year, the Nigerian High Commission was reportedly cut off from public electricity after failing to clear accumulated bills.
Some analysts say part of the reasons for the embarrassment is due to the fact that governance may have been sidetracked for politics, particularly, the 2027 elections.
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They cited absence of career ambassadors as major reasons, noting that despite confirmation of President Tinubu’s appointees by the National Assembly, the list is gathering dust at the presidency.
Metrobusinessnews.com (MBN) gathered that some of the individuals confirmed for the appointments have been in Abuja lobbying for what an analyst refers to ‘juicy’ countries.