By Emmanuel Nduka Obisue
Electricity has been restored to the Nigerian High Commission in Pretoria, South Africa, following the settlement of outstanding municipal service charges, Nigerian and South African authorities have confirmed.
It would be recalled that the power supply was disconnected on Monday as part of enforcement measures taken by the city of Tshwane over unpaid utility bills owed by the Nigerian diplomatic mission. Confirming the action, Tshwane Executive Mayor Nasiphi Moya disclosed in a post on X that electricity had been cut off after the mission failed to clear its debts for municipal services. “We’ve disconnected electricity at the High Commission of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. They owe the city for utility services,” Moya stated, alongside a photograph of the premises.
In a subsequent update, the mayor announced that electricity would be restored once payment was made. She later confirmed that the Nigerian High Commission had settled the outstanding amount, prompting immediate reconnection of power supply. “We thank the High Commission of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for honouring its debt to the city. The city will reconnect electricity,” she said.
Corroborating the update, Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday confirmed that the matter had been resolved. The ministry’s spokesperson, Kimiebi Ebienfa told journalists that the outstanding bills had been paid and electricity supply fully restored to the mission. “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 that the outstanding bills have been paid and electricity has been reconnected,” the foreign ministry stated.
This is not the first time a Nigerian diplomatic mission in South Africa has faced power disconnection over unpaid electricity bills. In 2023, power supply to the Nigerian consulate in Johannesburg was cut off over an outstanding debt estimated at about R600,000. A similar incident was also reported in September 2025, when the High Commission reportedly experienced another blackout due to accumulated unpaid electricity charges.
