• Igbokoda monarch leads march
The Olu of Igbokoda, Oba Odidi Omo Afolabi Oladimeji, yesterday led a protest to Akure, the state capital to demand that independent electricity distribution companies be licensed to light up the area.
Over 2,000 communities in five local government areas have remained without electricity two months after President Bola Tinubu inaugurated the 132kv transmission line and 132kv/33kv substation built by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).
Before the construction of the substation in Okitipupa, the communities have been in darkness for over 15 years.
Hopes of being connected to the national grid by the communities have been dashed as there are no infrastructure to transit electricity to communities.
Many infrastructure such as transformers in many communities have been vandalised
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Angered by the inability of Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) to extend electricity from the new substation to benefitting communities,
Oba Oladimeji said the people have cried to him that they could no longer tolerate alleged sabotage by the BEDC.
The monarch said it was deceptive to tell the world that their electricity had been extended to the Southern Senatorial District.
He called on Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa to allow competition in the electricity distribution.
His words: “Out of the five local governments in the South, there is no single one with electricity.
“We have been battling for years to say that BEDC should give us light, but they said they are waiting for the substation that was being built in Erinje before they would give us, even when there are other routes that they could use. But they insisted on using Erinje. But Erinje live, and up to now, there is no electricity.
“There are about three local governments that there are no poles linking them to anywhere, and there is no way they could have light. Ilaje and Okitipupa local governments that seem to have some edge, even when they will bring light several times, what they bring it’s just 200 kilowatts, when there are 64,000 kilowatts in Erinje substation, and the 200 kilowatts is not even up to four or five houses.
“So, we want the government to know that for 11 years that BEDC has taken over as a disco, they have not given us light for one day and we cannot continue that way.
“We want the government to cancel the license of BEDC over that area completely, we don’t want that. Since they have denied us electricity deliberately for 11 years, their thinking is that that area is not viable. So, there is nothing anybody can do, they won’t do anything.The little repairs that were done in our infrastructures were done by NDDC, not even BEDC.
“Now that there is electricity in Erinje, BEDC will go around homes to tell people to go and contribute money for poles, for the cables that will need to do the stringing, for the repairs of their transformers. We feel that this is illegal, this is unfair.
“We found out that most of the transformers are vandalised. When we did a joint enumeration before Erinje came on board, we discovered that 95 per cent of the infrastructure was damaged. We have the records. Joint enumeration by BEDC and the community. In that area, 95 per cent of transformers, poles were damaged and they said they do not have the money to do it.’’
“So, even when they said they are inaugurating in Erinje, we were shouting at them, how do you inaugurtate in Erinje and you have not done any repairs? They said, oh, don’t worry, up to today nothing has been done. They want the people to continue to fold their arms? No.
“The second thing that we want is that, since the state government has the power to license independent electricity distribution companies, we want an independent electricity company to be given to that region, if possible, to give us light. Because that is the concern we have. The new law says that each of the DISCOs should register some disco for the purpose of the states.’’
He continued: “You know what they did? When BEDC was going to bring light the first day, They put light in the governor’s house. They put light in the house of the engineer that built the Erinja substation. But the truth is that they deliberately repaired a transformer around the governor’s house, energised it, and sent the light there.
“All other areas where the light could go, they got it off, Up till today. To seal my mouth, they sent a meter to my house.
“How does a meter without a token work and it is prepaid? So, they hung it out there, so that anybody passing by will see that, oh, Kabiesi has a meter.That is a deceit. Once he has a meter, he won’t talk. Because I have been one of those in the forefront that BEDC does not and cannot do this work.They have shown it.
“How do you ask me to go and buy poles to erect for you to give me light and then you will charge me ?
“Or you ask me to go and contribute money so that you can buy oil to the transformers, repair the transformers. Once that is done, it belongs to you. And you ask me to come and pay estimated billing. No. So, we want the government to help us.
“We know the government has already tried.
“Because the excuse of BEDC is that, oh, you know, you don’t have meters. We can’t give you light. Who’s supposed to give us meters? Are they not the one ?”
Special Adviser to Governor Aiyedatiwa on Energy, Johnson Alabi, said the state government would not take the protesters’ demand lightly.
“They have come, we have had them. and we are not going to sleep over it. We are not taking it very lightly.
“We are going to sit down as a team and discuss the way forward. As a matter of fact, also, we know that very soon we are going to invite stakeholders to a meeting and where they will be called upon to come and express their grievances or what have you. So, that is the position of the government at this moment.
“We have been trying to monitor. About two weeks ago, we had a delegation of people from Ondo State Electricity Regulatory Bureau and Ondo State Power Company.
“We sent them to that end to find out how power has been distributed and how effective they have been.
“The report we got was not too palatable. But then, we believe there is always a way out.”