The Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation has berated Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State for attributing inadequate electricity supply for his administration’s continued dependence on fuel-powered generators to operate streetlights in Oyo State.
A statement by Director, Media and Publicity for Alli’s Campaign Council, Bisi Oladele, said Makinde’s excuse was not only disingenuous and showed gross incompetence, but also pointed to glaring leadership failure.
Alli’s campaign council said President Bola Tinubu, upon assumption of office, signed the Electricity Act 2023 into law, consequently empowering states to generate, transmit and distribute electricity and meet the energy needs of the people in their states.
“Taking advantage of the opportunity created by President Tinubu, our dear state under Makinde established the Oyo State Electricity Regulatory Commission and completed the transfer of regulatory oversight from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
“Governor Makinde, therefore, has no excuse for his own incompetence and glaring failure. Oyo State, like 16 others, have ceased the opportunity created by the law and now possess the legal and regulatory authority to attract investors, license electricity projects and develop sustainable power solutions tailored to its needs.
“But what did we have in Oyo State? Makinde deceived the people of the state with an 11-megawatt Independent Power Project (IPP) phantom project valued at N8.5 billion. Not only did the project fail spectacularly, no single watt of electricity was generated by the extremely wasteful Makinde administration.
“After billions had been spent on the white elephant project awarded to Elektron Energy, the Makinde administration terminated the ill-conceived, poorly planned, ill-thought-out project late last year, leaving the people of the state with no value for their money.
“Unlike in Oyo State, power projects being executed in 16 other states have become success stories, particularly in Abia State which has generated 188 megawatts of electricity; Akwa Ibom 191 megawatts; and Ekiti with 8.6 megawatts.
“The people of Oyo State deserve to know why the project has not provided a sustainable source of electricity for critical public infrastructure, including the streetlights and government secretariat in Agodi as well as health facilities as contained in government propaganda leaflets.
“Yet, the governor is junketing all over the country in search of elusive national network for his unrealizable presidential aspiration. Even the diesel-guzzling streetlights are no longer working, leaving many major roads dark at night. Apart from the prohibitively inflated cost of fueling, the generators are being replaced every six months in a deal that is at best job for the boys,” Alli’s campaign organisation said.
The statement added that blaming irregular power supply is particularly embarrassing for a governor who prides himself on being an electrical engineer, noting that the purpose of leadership is to solve problems, not to repeatedly describe them or use them as excuses for failure.
“After more than seven years in office, the governor cannot continue blaming external forces for problems that fall within the authority and capacity of his administration to address.
“Oyo State needs a properly planned electricity strategy incorporating solar-powered streetlights, embedded generation, renewable energy, independent distribution networks and private-sector investment.
“This will be the focus of Sharafadeen Alli when he becomes the governor of Oyo State next year. What the people do not need is a government that spends heavily on publicity-driven projects and later manufactures excuses when such projects turn to be a fiasco,” the statement added.