The Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), Sunday Oduntan, has defended the supply of power to Togo amid a domestic shortage.
According to Oduntan, Nigeria is fulfilling a bilateral agreement with the West African country, a deal he noted must be honoured.
The ANED CEO said this during an interview with Nairametrics on Monday.
His comments come amid Nigerians’ struggle with power supply, as electricity shortfalls continue to cause outages.
What the Disco chief is saying
Oduntan said Nigeria fulfilling bilateral agreements is devoid of sentiment.
- He said, “Nigeria has an obligation to fulfill bilateral agreements. So, this is without sentiment. The situation we are in today is just a situation that has to do with the legacy of gas constraints preventing generation companies from producing more electricity. That’s the situation we are in.
- “And the government said they are working to resolve the matter to make payments. It’s about money. So, if we stop giving electricity to Togo, what happens?
- “How much electricity do we give to Togo compared to what we need? So, it doesn’t work like that, whether it’s Niger or Togo, as long as those countries pay for what they buy. It’s even sustaining us in a way.”
More insights
The ANED CEO noted that income generated from the electricity export also assists Discos with the liquidity crisis.
- “If you have domestic customers who don’t pay, who steal energy, and you have international customers who pay, and if they do so regularly, in a way, it will help our liquidity crisis.
- “What I think the government needs to do, which they said they are doing, is to ensure an incremental generation of electricity. And to generate more, we need to pay all stakeholders.
- “So, all these sentiments and political talks that ‘they are giving power to Togo, why can’t they stop that?’ — it’s a bilateral agreement. When you have a contract, you have to respect the sanctity of the contract. You don’t just wake up and say you’re no longer interested.”
Backstory
Togo has expressed interest in increasing electricity imports from Nigeria through the Niger Delta Power Holding Company as it seeks to meet rising domestic power demand.
- The Managing Director of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company, Jennifer Adighije, disclosed this in a statement a week ago after hosting officials from Togo’s national electricity utility for discussions on expanding existing power supply cooperation.
- The visiting delegation from Compagnie Energie Electrique du Togo was led by its Director General, Débo K’mba Barandao, who said the country currently purchases about 75 megawatt-hours of electricity from the Nigerian company under a bilateral power supply arrangement.
According to Barandao, the imported electricity has played a crucial role in sustaining a stable power supply and supporting economic activities across Togo.
He noted that electricity imports from Nigeria have helped maintain reliable and affordable power for households, businesses, and public institutions, while also strengthening the stability of Togo’s national grid.
Barandao explained that electricity demand in Togo has increased significantly as more consumers join the national grid, particularly within the industrial and commercial sectors.
What you should know
Nigeria has continued to struggle with power, with the national grid suffering multiple collapses every year.
In the January 2026 Operational Performance Factsheet released in February, NERC revealed that Nigeria’s electricity grid struggled with low generation availability and unstable system frequency during the month, demonstrating persistent operational weaknesses in the power sector.
The report highlights a sharp mismatch between installed capacity and usable power, alongside grid stability concerns that continue to threaten reliable electricity supply.
But the social contract with Nigerians can be broken. Which contract is more important?