The Government of Ekiti State has rejected the proposed two-month power outage by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), Ekiti News reports.
Recall that BEDC had issued a public notice announcing a two-month power outage in Ondo and Ekiti states due to planned maintenance on the 132KV Akure-Osogbo transmission line by TCN.
But the Ekiti State government through its Ministry of Infrastructure and Public Utilities, while reacting to the development described the planned power disruption as unacceptable, noting that it would cripple economic activities in the state.
This was contained in a letter signed by Professor Mobolaji Aluko, the State Commissioner for Infrastructure and Public Utilities, dated June 30, 2024 and addressed to the MD/CEO, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz; MD/CEO, Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), Deolu Ijose; and Chairman, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Company (NERC), Shehu Garba.
The letter reads, “Our attention has been called to public notifications, both in print and 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 for nine hours each day (8 am to 5 pm) 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 62 days, amounting to 558 hours and 23 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 noon on 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 towards a sustainable solution that will benefit both citizens of the state and the Ekiti State Electricity Supply Industry.”