Electricity: Powering Ondo State for sustainable development
HIGHLIGHTS
- Partnership with the FG on restoration of power to Ondo south
- Inauguration of Ondo State Electricity Transition Committee
- Efforts on reactivation of 30MW Odigbo powerplant
- Mass metering through O’datiwa Meters
- Over 1,000 solar energy poles installed for Light-Up Akure
- Reactivation of Fiwasaye-Oba Adesida -FUTA streetlight
Recognising the fact that power is key to industrialization and economic development, Ondo State Governor, Hon. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, has continued to encourage reforms and investments in the power sector while planning and implementing various efforts towards energy independence, improved power supply and strategies to light up the State.
In a significant move aimed at improving electricity supply in the State, Governor Aiyedatiwa inaugurated a committee to oversee the transition period of regulatory oversight transfer from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to the Ondo State Government. The committee’s principal mandate was to develop modalities for the improvement of electricity supply within the state, ensure smooth transfer of authority from federal institutions to the state and enhance local governance and control over electricity for the benefit of the people of Ondo State.
Members of the Committee included Engr. Tunji Light Ariyomo, as Chairman and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Energy, Engr. Johnson Alabi, as the Vice Chairman. Other members of the Committee were Mrs. Iyabo Adefemi, a former Regional Head of BEDC, and Engr. Olumayowa Ajumobi, the Director of Planning of the Ondo State Power Company (OSPC), while the State Coordinator of the Ondo State Electricity Regulatory Bureau (OSERB), Engr. Stephen Bolawole as the Secretary, as well as representatives from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and the BEDC.
The Governor said: “This committee is a vital step towards achieving our goal of a more efficient and locally controlled electricity regulatory market. By taking charge of our regulatory framework, we can better address the unique needs of our state and ensure a more reliable and sustainable power supply for our citizens. Having a substantial part of Ondo State in darkness is simply unacceptable.”
As part of his efforts, the Governor paid an inspection visit to the 30MW Power Plant at Ore in Odigbo Local Government Area of the State. The project, which was built in 2012, is expected to serve parts of the southern senatorial district and the industrial park at Ore. Governor Aiyedatiwa directed that a comprehensive review of the project be conducted so that work can resume on the plant.
The state government also partnered with the federal government on the implementation stage of the efforts to restore electricity supply to the southern senatorial district of Ondo State with the commissioning of the Power Substation at Ode Erinje in Okitipupa local government area of the State.
The reactivation of the 132KV transmission line and 132KV/33KV substation ended nearly 15 years without electricity in many of the communities. The Ode Erinje Power Substation, which draws its supply from the Omotosho Power Plant, is designed to illuminate over 2,000 communities spanning five local government areas in the senatorial district. The project, which started about ten years ago, was handled by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), with support from the Ondo State Government.
In his address at the event, the Governor emphasized the transformative benefits of the project, including job opportunities, new investments, better healthcare, and overall socioeconomic development, adding: “our government has been engaging with power companies, technology providers, regulatory bodies and other stakeholders to generate innovative solutions towards enhancing electricity generation, transmission, and distribution in the State.”
One of the major successes recorded by the Aiyedatiwa administration in the power sector is the O’Datiwa Meters initiative, an electricity mass metering programme which is aimed at eliminating arbitrary and estimated electricity bills and easing the burden of the people of the State in accessing electricity.
Speaking at the launch event in Akure, the Governor emphasized the significance of the initiative in ensuring a transparent, fair, and efficient electricity supply system, stressing that accurate metering is not only a technical necessity but a fundamental right for all consumers, as it will help eliminate the uncertainties and discrepancies that have long affected the billing process.
Looking ahead, the Governor announced that Ondo State government is preparing for an ambitious venture into power generation, transmission, and distribution. He called on both distribution and generation companies to collaborate with the state in achieving its goals.
“Our state is open to investors in all areas of power generation, transmission, and distribution. Together, we can ensure that every community in Ondo State is adequately powered. The O’Datiwa Meter Program signifies our unwavering dedication to creating a better future where energy is a source of empowerment and a pillar of equitable development”, he said.
LIGHT-UP AKURE
The first and second phases of the Light-Up Akure project embarked upon by the administration of Governor Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa have already taken off with major roads in the State capital now illuminated at night. A total number of about 1000 complete units of solar streetlights have already been installed.
The areas covered in the first phase of the project were:
- Fiwasaye Round About to Express
- Government House & Environs
- Govt House VIP Lodge
- NEPA Junction – House of Assembly Junction
- House of Assembly Round About and its Environs
- House of Assembly Junction to Federal Secretariat road
- Dejavu Hotel Round About/Civil Service Commission Road, Alagbaka
- CBN Round About to First Bank Junction
- CBN Junction to Shoprite
- Providus Bank to Amotekun Post
- Araromi Junction to Maronu Junction
- Stadium Road
- Palace of Deji of Akure road and its Environs
- Road Block – Oke Odu Junction, ljare Road
- Ijomu Junction/Agbogbo, Oke ljebu Road
- Lafe Junction – Agagu Road Junction
In the second phase, the reactivation of the median streetlights installations along the major roads in Akure is on-going. This involves the replacement of stolen items and repairs of transformer substations. By this, the lights along Road Block to Cathedral, Cathedral to Oja Oba, Oja Oba to Fiwasaye and Fiwasaye to Oba-ile second gate are now functioning.
Work, including the replacement of accident poles and fittings, is currently going on simultaneously at:
- Owode Substation to take care of Oba-ile to the Airport
- Ondo Rd to cover Isikan Roundabout to Army Barracks
- Arakale to take care of Isikan Roundabout to NEPA Roundabout.
Prince Ebenezer Adeniyan,
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Ondo State.