10 YEAR POWER OUTAGE: Ondo Senator-elect calls for review of contract to DISCOS

Concerned by the power outage in the Southern Senatorial district of Ondo State for over ten years, a Senator- Elect, Nicholas Towofomo has asked the Federal Government to review the contract of the Electricity Distribution Companies in the country over their inability to supply power to several communities in the country.

The Senator-elect, who led a delegation to the Omotosho Power Plant said: “The Federal Government should revoke their contracts, involve more companies in the distribution or decentralise the power sector.”

It should be noted that residents of Ondo South Senatorial District area of the state had staged a protest over the power outage in the area.
Communities affected include Okitipupa, Odigbo, Irele and Ilaje/Ede Odo Local Government Areas.

Towofomo specifically called for the review of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company, BEDC, contract over its failure to supply power to over 900 communities in the state.

According to him, some of the communities had been in darkness for over 10 years despite the presence of Omotosho Power Plant in the area.

He said: “I am here on a fact finding mission as the Senator- elect of Ondo South Senatorial District and I noticed that over 90 percent of people living in the district are in darkness while we have a powerful power plants here in Omotosho which is within the district and we are not benefitting from this big project.

“I am here to find out what is really going on, because we cannot continue like this. It’s our right to have electricity; five of the six local government areas in the district had no electricity so I think I have the responsibility to ensure they have electricity.”

He explained that the disconnection of the four local government areas was carried out by the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria, PHCN, but frowned over the inability of the BEDC to change the narrative.

Vanguard