The Ekiti state government has firmly rejected the proposed plan by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) to impose a two-month power outage on the state.
The outage, which would last for nine hours daily, was scheduled to begin on July 1.
According to the government, this planned blackout poses an unacceptable economic, financial, and social burden for the citizens of Ekiti State.
The TCN and BEDC had announced critical maintenance work on the 132kV Akure Osogbo transmission line, necessitating the outage for safe working conditions.
However, the Commissioner for Infrastructure and Public Utility, Prof Bolaji Aluko, emphasized that the state government was neither informed nor granted approval by the Ekiti State Electricity Regulatory Bureau—the authority responsible for regulating the electricity industry in Ekiti State.
In a letter addressed to the MD/CEO of TCN, the MD/CEO of BEDC, and the Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Commissioner Mobolaji Aluko called for an immediate suspension of the plan. He also requested an emergency meeting with regional heads to explore alternative solutions that would achieve the same goals without adversely affecting citizens.
The Ekiti State Government aims to collaboratively find a sustainable solution that benefits both residents and the Ekiti State Electricity Supply Industry.
