Lawmakers order probe of 10-yr outage in Osun council, others

The House of Representatives has mandated its Committee on Power to interface with the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to investigate the 10-year blackout in Ife South Local Council of Osun State.

The panel is also to probe the over N50 million alleged indebtedness to the power firm and report back to the lower legislative chamber in four weeks for further action.

The resolution followed the adoption of a motion on the “Need to Intervene in the Disconnection of Electric Power Supply to Ife South Local Government Area, Osun State” moved by Ajilesoro Taofek Abimbola at plenary president over by Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila.

Presenting the motion, Abimbola recalled that successive administrations had made efforts to reform the sector with a view to improving electricity supply to Nigerians, yet billions of naira had been expended with little to show for the huge investments, as the citizens still grapple with outage almost on a daily basis.

He informed the chamber that the affected council area, with its headquarters in Ifetedo town, is made up of 15 communities, including Olode, Ayesan, Oke and Owena as well as over fifty 50 villages like Daranjo, Dagbolu, Olorombo, Aba Oba among others.

The legislator added that the local council, which borders Ondo in the southern part of Ile-Ife with high population density, is mainly peopled by civil servants, saw millers, as well as artisans and farmers.

His words: “The people of Ife South Local Government Area have been grappling with lack of electricity supply for the past 10 years following their disconnection by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) due to the outrageous charges of over N50 million which the company claimed the entire Local Government Area owes it.

“The continued blackout in the communities for that length of time has brought untold hardship on the inhabitants as it has paralysed all forms of business activities. Many public and private organisations which cannot afford running generators all through those years have been forced out of business and the lengthy power outage has also damaged most of those transformers in the communities thus requiring that new transformers would be installed before electricity could be restored.”

The House, however, implored the Federal Ministry of Power to undertake an assessment tour of the affected facilities and ascertain the level of their damage and the overall impact on the communities.