The Osun State governor, Ademola Adeleke, has tasked the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, IBEDC, to resolve the epileptic power supply in the state.
According to a statement by the spokesperson to the governor, Olawale Rasheed, this was made known when Adeleke met the managing director of IBEDC in Ibadan, Oyo State Capital.
Adeleke described Osun as a critical stakeholder in the Nigerian power sector, with Osogbo hosting the National Transmission Control Centre.
He said it is unacceptable that the state will have an epileptic power supply, which the governor stressed has been affecting the local economy and businesses badly.
He added that Osun State will soon set up its own regulatory agency to address the power sector’s challenges.
“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,” the governor said.
In his reaction, the Managing Director of IBEDC, Mr Kingsley Achiefe, lauded Governor Adeleke for the interaction, noting that the firm is also ready to collaborate with the Osun State Government to serve 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 currently receives less than 400 megawatts of energy from the generation companies.
Consequently, Governor Adeleke set up a committee whose membership includes Commissioner for Energy, Festus Adeyemo; Commissioner for Finance, Shola Ogungbile; Commissioner for Rural Development, Alhaji Gani Olaoluwa; Chairman, House of Assembly Committee on Power; Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Media, Hezekiah Olabamiji; and the representative of the private sector, Tayo Adegbemle, who is an energy analyst.
