.. deems erratic power supply in Osogbo, the state capital hosting the National Transmission Control Centre, as unacceptable

…Unveils Osun State power sector agenda

Oredola Adeola

Ademola Adeleke, Osun State Governor, has directed the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) to promptly tackle the issue of irregular power supply, insisting that it is unacceptable for Osogbo, the state capital hosting the National Transmission Control Centre, to experience erratic power supply.

The Governor therefore disclosed that the inconsistent electricity situation has significantly impacted the local economy and businesses negatively, expressing concerns about the IBEDC’s practices, including customer extortion through transformer procurement, exploitative estimated billing, and the hindrance faced by residents in purchasing energy due to outdated metering systems.

The Governor made this known when he met the Managing Director of IBEDC during a private meeting in Ibadan, the Oyo State Capital, on Friday.

Senator Ademola Adeleke described Osun as a critical stakeholder in the Nigerian power sector with Osogbo hosting the National Transmission Control Centre.

He said it is therefore unacceptable that the State will be having epileptic power supply, the situation which the Governor stressed has been affecting local economy and businesses badly.

Apart from the fact that power outages contribute to growing insecurity, the Governor harped on the extortion of customers through transformer procurement, estimated billing that exploits the consumers and inability of some residents of the state to buy energy due to the old metering system.

To this effect, Senator Adeleke said Osun is already working to enact the State’s Electricity System Law that will enable it to set up a Power Sector Regulatory Agency with a view to ensuring that people of Osun State are properly served within IBEDC franchise areas.

“As a government, we are already working to enact the Osun Electricity system law. We will be setting up a power sector regulatory agency. We will introduce off grid options and widen alternative energy sources”, Mr Governor posited.

In his own remark, Speaker of Osun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adewale Egbedun called on the distribution company to cooperate with the Osun State government so that the firm will be able to carry out its business smoothly while residents of the state will also have value for the money being paid for energy consumption.

Responding, the Managing Director of IBEDC, Mr. Kingsley Achiefe appreciated the Governor for the interface, saying the firm is also ready to collaborate with Osun State Government with a view to serving their customers better.

According to him, the epileptic power supply in Osun State was caused by the drop in power generation.

He said that out of the 1600 megawatts of electricity required to power Osun State, the firm is currently receiving less than 400 megawatts of energy from the generation companies.

He identified vandalisation of energy installations and energy theft through bypassing of meters as some of the challenges causing the firm to lose revenue adding that many of the about 2800 transformers that are in Osun State are old and faulty.

He called on the state government to assist the company to stop the ugly trend of illicit and illegal meters where people buy meters from other States, bringing such surreptitiously into the state and vending for energy from another state.

The Governor has therefore set up a committee with Commissioner for Energy, Honorable Fetus Adéyemo, Commissioner for Finance, Hon Shola Ogungbile, Commissioner for Rural Development, Alhaji Gani Olaoluwa, Chairman House of Assembly Committee on Power, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Hon. Hezekiah Olabamiji and representative of the private sector, Mr. Tayo Adegbemle, who is an energy analyst.

The committee’s terms of reference include facilitating early passage of the draft Electricity bill, addressing issues impeding regular power supply, promoting embedded power alternative, resolving the issue of debt owed IBDC, and fashioning ways and means of securing energy infrastructure across the state.