Ondo South communities commend NDDC over plans to restore electricity

The people of coastal communities in the Southern senatorial district of Ondo State have commended authorities of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC)  for steps taken to restore electricity in the area.

Speaking on the development,  a community leader,  Inumidun Mafo, said the restoration of power to the area would improve the economy of the area and usher in development.

He said the people had been in darkness for the past seven years, adding that previous governments had failed to attend to the plight of the people of the area.

Speaking on the development, the Director of NDDC,  Emmanuel Audu, said the commission was working to connect the area to the national grid.

He noted that the area had been battling with power outage for almost seven years, saying the commission had to attend to the plight of the people to ensure that the residents are brought back to reckoning.

He said: “From our findings, the supply line that connects the area emanates from Osogbo but the line is old, dilapidated and not in use which has put the communities in darkness.”

He said the only solution was to bring bulk power from Omotosho Power Plant to Okitipupa, saying that the construction of 132KV line from the power plant to Okitipupa which covers 60-kilometre distance was awarded in 2013.

According to Audu, “the project is currently ongoing and we have achieved over 48 per cent completion.When the project comes on stream,  the power issue in Igbokoda, Okitipupa and even the neighbouring communities will be over.”

The NDCC director however decried the challenge of funding which had led to delay in paying contractors handling the project.

He, however, said efforts are on to get the contractor paid,  even though they are back in site.

“We hope that before the end of this year or before the first quarter of next year, we will round off the project and electricity issue in the state will be resolved,” he said.