Politically speaking, the commencement of the Ekiti state Independent Power Project with the test running of the Plant is a welcome development that should be emulated by other states to make electricity supply available to Nigerians.

This move is in line with the actualization of the content of the Fifth Alteration Bill No.33, Devolution of Powers (National Grid System) that moved the issue of power generation, transmission and distribution from the exclusive to the concurrent list.

While on tour of the Plant, the State Commissioner for Information. Rt. Hon. Taiwo Olatunbosun disclosed that the project was initiated by the immediate past administration headed by Dr. Kayode Fayemi and completed by the incumbent Governor Biodun Oyebanji to tackle electricity shortage in the state.

In his remarks, the Commissioner for Infrastructure and Public Utilities, Prof. Bolaji Aluko said that the project had undergone successful tests for two weeks with 700kw distributed for now out of a total capacity of 3.5MW and space for expansion. He further disclosed that supply would be spread to include private concerns on a willing buyer, willing seller basis.

According to the Technical Director, Ekiti IPP Limited, Engr. (Mrs.) Odunayo Lanre-Bamodu, the project is fully operational and working excellently for about two weeks, supplying Government facilities across Ado Ekiti. She stressed that the project is a metropolitan power source with 11kilometers underground distribution network plus several substations and Ring Main Units (RMUs), two generating sets of 1.5MW and 1.26MW totaling 2.65MW.

 At present, the IPP is ensuring uninterrupted power supply to the Governor’s Office, Government House, State Secretariat Complex, House of Assembly Complex, Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH) and streetlights along major roads in the metropolis among others.

The attempt by the Ekiti State government to make power supply available to the people of the state with this project is laudable and as already envisioned, more efforts should be put in place to expand power supply to other parts of the state as this will stimulate the socio-economic growth and development of the state and create employment for the youth.

Another benefit will be that the state can commence cross-border electricity trading by exporting excess power supply to buyers outside the state.

With this lofty step, concerted efforts should be made by the state government to collaborate with the federal government in order to improve grid supply to the state.

Although, Ekiti state is currently linked to the national grid through the Osogbo/Akure/Ado-Ekiti 132kV line, grid supply to the state can be further enhanced by teaming up with neighboring Ondo state to work with the federal government so as to complete the ongoing Benin North-Akure-Osogbo 330kV project.

We therefore call on other states to emulate this lofty move by Ekiti State and establish their own power stations to complement the quantity of power supply they are currently receiving from the national grid. This would definitely be an additional source of revenue generation for the states in Nigeria that are presently battling with very low Internal Generated Revenue (IGR).