Nigeria's Power Minister, Joseph Tegbe, announced on 31 July that the government would stop the electricity subsidy next year, while ruling out an immediate rise in tariffs. This announcement was immediately disputed by state agencies and a sector analyst who claimed he never declared the subsidy gone. Tegbe emphasised that there is no policy to raise tariffs beyond the current level. He also stated that his priorities were service improvement, universal metering, and ensuring Nigerians pay only for the electricity they actually consume. The Association of Power Generation Companies estimates what generation companies are owed at about N6.5 trillion, roughly US$4.75 billion at the end-July rate. The debt is a bond, not a budget line, and a N4 trillion facility is being used to clear legacy power-sector debt.