The Owa of Odo Ayedun Ekiti, Oba Solomon Ilesanmi Ajibade, has praised the Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adeoye Aribasoye, for facilitating the restoration of electricity to the town after years of blackout.
In a letter dated February 25, 2025, and addressed to the Speaker, the monarch noted that business activities, previously crippled by the prolonged power outage, were now bouncing back following the community’s reconnection to the national grid.
Residents of Odo Ayedun Ekiti are now enjoying steady power supply after Aribasoye, who represents Ikole Constituency II, intervened to repair two faulty transformers, replace damaged armoured cables, and provide transformer oil to revive the town’s electrical infrastructure.
Oba Ajibade described the Speaker’s intervention as a testament to his selfless leadership and commitment to the welfare of his constituents. “On behalf of the good people of Odo Ayedun, we express our heartfelt gratitude and deepest appreciation for your timely intervention in the repair of transformers, replacement of armoured cables and provision of barrels of transformer oil that will afford our community to enjoy steady electricity supply after years of darkness.
“We appreciate your kindness, commitment and care. This selfless act is a demonstration of your dedication to service delivery and promotion of wellbeing of the people of our dear community,” the letter read.
Speaking to journalists in Ado Ekiti, Aribasoye said his efforts were aimed at revitalizing the local economy, supporting small businesses, and creating job opportunities. He emphasized that stable electricity is crucial for artisans and entrepreneurs, stressing that economic growth cannot be achieved when businesses are forced to shut down due to power shortages.
“Besides bringing an upswing to nightlife and prevent the artisans from losing millions of naira monthly, the gesture would help in abating the spiraling security threat in the constituency, since criminals often operate unchallenged under darkness,” Aribasoye stated.
He urged the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) to provide prepaid meters to residents and eliminate the controversial estimated billing system.
“I charge the Benin Electricity Distribution Company to provide prepaid metres to his constituents and abolish the contentious estimated and bulk billing systems that are generating controversies between some communities and the distribution company,” he added.
The Speaker also commended Governor Biodun Oyebanji for reconnecting 41 Ekiti communities to the national grid, describing the initiative as a key part of the administration’s rural development policy.
“If you look at Governor Oyebanji’s policies, rural development is a key pillar and this accounted for why the current governor prioritized rural electrification as a focus of government, because without electricity, there won’t be job or wealth creation.
“Within two years the governor assumed office, 41 communities in Gbonyin, Ijero, Ekiti East, Ekiti West and others, had been reconnected to national grid. Those towns are now doing exceptionally well in terms of economic engagements and job as well as wealth creation,” Aribasoye stated.
He added that Ayedun Ekiti, as a strategic economic hub within Ikole Local Government and Ajoni LCDA, would greatly benefit from the power restoration, bringing relief to artisans and business owners in the area.
“Ayedun Ekiti is a community under my constituency and the town is strategic to the economic survival of the Ajoni LCDA and Ikole Local Government as a whole. The restoration of light after years of perpetual darkness will automatically bring a respite to artisans and business owners operating in that axis,” he concluded.