Govt, TCN partners to boost power supply in Ekiti communities

Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, on Wednesday, flagged off the construction of work on 132/33 KV power substations in Ijesa Isu Ekiti,  Ilupeju-Ekiti in Ikole and Oye council areas of the state respectively.

The Governor who expressed delight that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed with the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) in 2020 resulted in the commencement of work said the project was borne out of the collaboration of his administration with the Federal Government to solve the problem of epileptic power supply in the state.

Represented by the Deputy Governor, Bisi Egbeyemi, the Governor described the project as “another milestone in the quest to make life comfortable for our people” said his administration fulfilled some obligations before the project could see the light of the day.

Fayemi charged the contractor with the need to ensure the construction of a quality project saying “the people of the state are interested in early completion without compromising standards.”

The Governor also restated the commitment of his administration to the ongoing work on the Independent Power Project (IPP) aimed at boosting power supply to government offices and facilities in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, to generate additional 5 megawatts.

He listed some of the obligations fulfilled by his administration before the project could take off including a survey of the proposed line route, gazette of the line, issuance of the title documents for the land allocation of the substations, acquisition of the right of way, route topography survey, environmental impact assessment and ongoing construction of the fence of the project sites.

He said, “Today’s groundbreaking event is to further reawaken the hope of our people, that both the federal and state governments are committed to improving the standard of living and welfare of the people. As I have said on many occasions, the Ekiti people are the greatest assets we have and we cannot afford to fail them.

“As a government, we are also committed to the implementation of the Independent Power Project (IPP) which is aimed at generating 5 megawatts for use of government offices and facilities.

“The project which is a Public Private Partnership arrangement, upon completion will ensure adequate power supply to government offices and facilities, thereby increasing access to electric power by the public. The 5 megawatts hitherto supplied to the affected government premises from the national grid will be freed from the use of the general public when the IPP is completed.”

The Minister of Power, Alhaji Abubakar Aliyu, commended the Fayemi Administration for its commitment to the realization of the project and collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Power to boost power supply to more communities in Ekiti State and stimulate social and economic development.

The Minister of Power who was represented by the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, TCN, Dr Sule Abdulaziz, described the projects as strategic noting that they would have a massive impact on power transmission in Ekiti and its environs.

According to him “the projects are parts of many projects being undertaken by the TCN in pursuit of grid expansion programme in line with the mandate of President Muhammadu Buhari for extension of the power sector for sustainable development.”

The Minister noted that when the two power substations at Ijesa Isu and Ilupeju Ekiti are completed, they would relieve the one in Ado Ekiti of its load and bring a better power supply to the hinterland of the state.

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