The present administration under the leadership of Dr. Kayode Fayemi,
would not relent in its efforts at ensuring that every part of Ekiti State is connected to the national grid to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply to every nook and cranny of the state.
The Commissioner for Infrastructure and Public Utilities, Hon. Bamidele Faparusi, stated this during a meeting with the management of Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) Plc in Benin, Edo State.
Faparusi who expressed displeasure at the current epileptic power supply to Ekiti State, which according to him was unacceptable, noted that the visit was born out of the genuine intention of the present administration to ascertain all the lingering challenges in the power sector with a view to finding lasting solutions to them.
In her submission, the Managing Director of BEDC Plc, Mrs Funke Osibodu observed that if the tools of communication and partnership are deployed, the Ekiti State power problem can easily be solved,
considering the uniqueness of its size, noting that every facility to supply 100% power to Ekiti State is available.
Osibodu noted that the major hindrance to transmission of adequate power to Ekiti State was a litigation against Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) on the right of way along Igbara Odo and Ilara Mokin
axis in Ondo State, which resulted to a stalemate in the process, adding that BEDC Plc has approved over 100 projects in its bid to support and grow economic activities in Ekiti State.
Identifying issues such as vandalizing and tampering with network, coupled with poor payment culture of the people as some still viewed power supply as social services, among others are factors militating against the effectiveness of the whole process.
The General Manager urged Ekiti citizens to make themselves available during the process of enumeration which is scheduled to kick off in three weeks’ time, maintaining that the exercise was key to the roll out of the pre-paid meter, and urged both Ondo and Ekiti State Governments to partner and intervene in the pending litigation in order to fast-track the process of upgrading network and increase power supply to Ekiti State
