Oyo State governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, said that his administration has begun to take advantage of the Electricity Act 2023 to transform the power supply situation in the state.
He described the new law as a game changer in the electricity sector, stating that the state will soon key into it, as it is set to sign its own version of the law soon.
The governor stated this on Monday, when he received the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, at the Executive Chambers of the Governor’s Office, Secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan.
Governor Makinde, who congratulated Adelabu on his appointment and also expressed gratitude to God for saving him when he was involved in a plane crash recently, said his government does not mix politics with governance and that it will give the Minister the support needed to succeed.
The governor added that his administration would keep its doors open to interventions that can make life better for the people of the state.
He said: “During your speech, there was a power outage and that is what Nigerians face every day. But we do know that we can improve the electricity situation for our country.
“For us in Oyo State, the game changer is actually the Electricity Act 2023, and we will take full advantage of the law.
“As a matter of fact, we have started taking advantage of the new electricity law already and I should be signing the Oyo State version of the law by the end of this week or early next week, because it has been passed by the House of Assembly.
“Honourable Minister, let me give you the assurance that we don’t see division and politics when it comes to the issue of governance and ensuring that we provide good living conditions for our people.
“We don’t also see any problem in giving credit to whoever deserves it. If it is the Federal Government that assists us to get anything, we are ready to work together.
“Oyo State has the largest landmass in the entire South-West; that is why the Rural Electrification Agency of the Federal Government and our own Rural Electrification Board have been working together, and we believe we can achieve more.”
Speaking earlier, the Minister of Power, Chief Adelabu, said he was embarking on a nationwide visit to power installations, and that he chose to start with his home state.
He added that the visit is to critically assess the power sector through extensive consultations with the stakeholders across board, so as to unanimously agree on strategic implementation plans for the improvement, upgrade, modernisation and transformation of the power sector for uninterrupted power supply.
Adelabu, who described Makinde as his brother, called for partnership and collaboration between his Ministry and the Oyo State’s Ministry of Energy and its Rural Electrification Board.
He noted that one of the areas of collaboration is the provision of transformers to low-income areas, especially the rural communities in the state.