The Ekiti State Government has firmly opposed the scheduled two-month power outage proposed by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC). This comes after the distribution company publicly announced its intention to implement a prolonged power disruption in Ondo and Ekiti states, citing necessary maintenance on the 132KV Akure-Osogbo transmission line managed by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
In response to this announcement, the Ekiti State government expressed its strong disapproval through a letter dated June 30, 2024, authored by Professor Mobolaji Aluko, the Commissioner for Infrastructure and Public Utilities. Aluko highlighted the detrimental impact such an outage would have on the state’s economy, describing it as unacceptable.
Addressed to key stakeholders including the MD/CEO of TCN, Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz, MD/CEO of BEDC, Deolu Ijose, and Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Shehu Garba, the letter emphasized the lack of direct communication with the Ekiti State Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Utilities (MIPU) regarding this significant decision. It underscored that the Ekiti State Electricity Regulatory Bureau (EKSERB), entrusted by law to regulate the electricity sector within Ekiti State, was neither consulted nor granted approval for the proposed outage.
“The planned disruption of electricity for three-eighths of each day over 62 days, totaling 558 hours and 23 days of outage, represents an exorbitant economic, financial, and social burden for the people of Ekiti State. Therefore, we categorically reject this proposal,” the letter stated unequivocally.
Furthermore, the government requested the immediate suspension of the outage plan and urged for an emergency meeting scheduled for Tuesday, July 2, 2024. The meeting, to be held at the Office of the Honourable Commissioner for MIPU in Ado-Ekiti, aims to facilitate constructive dialogue among regional heads of TCN, BEDC, and NERC. The objective is to explore alternative strategies that would achieve the necessary maintenance objectives with minimal adverse impact on residents and businesses in Ekiti State.
“We seek prompt resolution of this matter and are committed to collaborating on a sustainable solution beneficial to both our citizens and the Ekiti State Electricity Supply Industry,” the letter concluded.
