By IBUKUN EMIOLA and OLATUNDE AJAYI

The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Moniya Station, Ibadan, says it has been operating successfully on cheaper alternative power supplies since its disconnection from the national grid in September.

NRC District Manager (West), Angelique Ikwuka, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan on Saturday that the disconnection was due to unpaid controversial electricity bills amounting to N94 million.

She said the railway project, managed by China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), had not been handed over to NRC before the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) issued the bills.

According to Ikwuka, an engineer, the bills, hence, belong to CCECC and not theirs to bear.

She said that based on a precedent in Abeokuta, CCECC was responsible for all power-related costs until the station was formally transferred to NRC.

“In Abeokuta, during the test run phase, CCECC bore the electricity bills and only handed the station over to NRC to run after completion.

“So, I explained to them that the bills were to be paid by CCECC because they are still working on the line. When they are finished, they will hand the station over to us.

“The same process should apply here,” she said.

She, therefore, expressed shock that NRC was being implicated in the bill dispute despite not having taken full ownership of the station.

According to her, the bills, issued in August and September 2024, were contested by CCECC, insisting that the N94 million amount was unusually high and thus requested a thorough investigation.

“CCECC wrote back to IBEDC, saying the amount was too high and called for a review.

“Meetings have, however, been ongoing with the Federal Ministry of Transportation to resolve the matter, alongside NRC and CCECC,” Ikwuka said.

She said that the station had, however, been running on diesel generators since its disconnection in September.

“I told them point-blank that it’s cheaper to buy diesel than to pay those outrageous bills.

“That’s what we’ve been doing since the disconnection,” she said.

The district manager urged the public to disregard insinuations that NRC had neglected its obligations, assuring that it remained committed to transparent operations and delivering efficient railway services.

Meanwhile, IBEDC Coordinating Head, Corporate Services, Mrs. Angela Olanrewaju, confirmed that the Moniya train station was disconnected due to non-payment of its electricity bills.

“It is an issue we have been engaging them on towards an amicable resolution.

“As per the amount of their indebtedness, we apologise that we will be unable to provide details as to the customer’s financial dealings with us without their written approval, in line with extant laws,” she told NAN.

NAN reports that the Moniya train station is part of the Lagos-Ibadan railway project, one of the five stations under the Western district. (NAN)