Rita Odafe
The Ekiti State government has voiced its disapproval of the planned two-month power interruption that is set to impact the state.
In a statement released by the Ekiti State Commissioner for Public Utility, Mobolaji Aluko, the government described the scheduled power outage as unreasonable and too burdensome for the residents.
The government has urged for the immediate halt of the outage and has proposed an urgent meeting with stakeholders to devise a new plan of action.
The state government’s stance was made public following the announcement by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) regarding the necessary maintenance work on the 132kV Akure-Osogbo transmission line, leading to power disruptions in Ondo and Ekiti states for a period of two months.
As per a public notice issued on Sunday, the maintenance work will result in daily power cuts lasting nine hours in Ondo and Ekiti states from July 1 to August 31.
The Commissioner noted that the state government was not informed or consulted before such a decision was made by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
The government has called for an emergency meeting with the affected stakeholders, scheduled for Tuesday, July 2, at the Ekiti State Government Secretariat.
In a letter addressed to the MD/CEO of the Transmission Company of Nigeria in Abuja, the MD/CEO of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company in Benin-City, and the Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Company in Abuja, dated June 30, the State Commissioner expressed, “The planned disruption of electricity in these two months amounts to an unacceptable economic, financial, and social price to be paid by the citizens of Ekiti State, and we totally reject such a plan.”
The letter further stated, “Our attention has been called to public notifications, both in print and in jingles in English and in Yoruba, of the intention of BEDC, under advice by TCN, to disrupt power supply to the transmission stations in Akure and Ado-Ekiti with the effect of adversely affecting Ekiti and Ondo State areas for nine hours each day (8am to 5pm) from July 1 to August 31, 2024.
“No direct notification/communication was made to the Ekiti State Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Utilities (MIPU) on this matter, nor was approval sought and obtained from the Ekiti State Electricity Regulatory Bureau (EKSERB), saddled by law with the full authority to regulate the electricity industry in Ekiti State.
“The planned disruption of electricity for three-eighths of each day for sixty-two days, amounting to five hundred and fifty-eight hours (558) total and twenty-three days of outage in these two months amounts to an unacceptable economic, financial, and social price to be paid by the citizens of Ekiti State, and we totally reject such a plan.”
The letter demanded an immediate suspension of the plan and urged for an emergency meeting with the regional heads of TCN, BEDC, and NERC.
“The meeting is slated for Tuesday, July 2, in the commissioner’s office at the Government Secretariat, Ado-Ekiti.”
Aluko stated, “The meeting would help all stakeholders devise an alternative and far less adverse plan to achieve the same stated aims.”
