From Kayemo News
The Ekiti State Government has rejected the planned outage of electricity for the two months of July and August by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), saying that it amounts to an unacceptable economic waste.
In a letter written by Professor Mobolaji Aluko, the commissioner for public utility, to the MD/CEO, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Abuja, he MD/CEO, Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), Benin-City and the Chairman, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Company (NERC), Abuja
dated June 30, 2024, said no direct notification/communication was made to the state government.
The letter titled: RE: NOTIFICATION OF POWER DISRUPTION/OUTAGE IN ADO-EKITI AND AKURE FOR TWO MONTHS (JULY, AUGUST 2024) FOR NINE HOURS EACH DAY (8.00AM TO 5.00PM), which was obtained by Premium Times read:
“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 -and in effect to adversely affect the Ekiti State and Ondo State areas – fornine hours each day (8.00am to 5.00pm) from July 1, 2024 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.
Consequently, we ask for an immediate suspension of the plan, while we call for an emergency meeting with the regional heads of TCN, BEDC and NERC at 12:00 noon Tuesday, July 2, 2024, at the Office of the Honourable
Commissioner, MIPU, The Secretariat, Ado-Ekiti, in order to devise an alternative and far less adverse plan to achieve the same stated aims, namely
“to carry out critical maintenance work on the 132KV Akure Osogbo
transmission line…(and) the installation of Optical Ground Wire (OPGW) and
other activities.”
“We request prompt attention to this matter while we are eager to work collaboratively toward a sustainable solution that will benefit both citizens of
the State and the Ekiti State Electricity Supply Industry.
“In the time being, accept our highest regards.”
