Politically speaking, it is not by happenstance that Osun state enjoys a relatively stable power supply but is due to the fact that as one of the sub nationals in South-Western Nigeria, the state has the unique privilege and fortune to play host to the only National Control Centre (NCC) in a country that currently operates a single national grid system. The National Control Centre performs many important functions that include unit dispatching, control and coordination of grid activities such as frequency and voltage control to ensure that the system is intact at all times, outage and water management, data collation and storage etc.
In addition to being host to the National Control Centre, Osun state is inundated with several transmission and distribution facilities that are available for the distribution of electricity to every nook and cranny of the state. There is a 330/132/33KV transmission substation in Osogbo with two other 330/132/33KV transmission stations at Ayede and Ganmo in neighboring Oyo and Kwara states respectively to complement in the supply of electricity to Osun state and there are 132/33KV stations at Ile-Ife, Ilesha, Osogbo while the one at Ede is nearing completion.
Since energy is a critical catalyst in the drive towards industrialization and with a relatively stable power supply, Osun state ought to and should take advantage of these realities to woo investors in order to transform it from an agrarian and civil service state to an industrial giant. Presently, there exist scanty industries like the steel mill at Ilesha, one or two private farms, hotels, petrol stations while the machine tools and rolling mill, Osogbo are moribund, which is very disheartening.
Apart from attracting investors to locate industries in the state, the state government can lure interested investors to tap into the hydro and other renewable energy potentials in the state to build power stations. Fortunately for the state, some of her illustrious citizens are already into power generation activities.
We therefore call on the Governor Ademola Adeleke-led administration to leverage on the relatively stable power supply in the state to create huge awareness in order to attract genuine investors to the state. Taking a cue from states like Lagos and Ogun, Osun state has the potential to transform its economy from an agrarian to an industrialized one in order to improve the quality of life of her citizenry and generate employment for the teeming youth population.