Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, has revealed that his administration has invested billions of naira in reconnecting urban and rural communities previously cut off from the national grid.
Despite these efforts, he expressed dissatisfaction with the poor coordination of power generation and distribution, which has hindered the full benefits of the state’s investment.
Governor Oyebanji made these remarks while receiving a delegation from the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI), Abuja, led by its Technical Director, Engr. Lawal Lawal.
He lamented that despite the state’s financial commitment to purchasing transformers, wiring communities, and reconnecting them to the grid, the power supply remains insufficient, and many residents struggle to obtain prepaid meters.
“Since we did not get help from anyone, we decided to help ourselves, and we are making an impact. The only reason we are reaching out to you is that we cannot produce meters.
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“I don’t know if the commissioner has told you how much we have invested in rural and urban electricity. We have connected communities, bought transformers, and done wiring, spending billions of naira,” Oyebanji stated.
He further highlighted the challenge of limited electricity supply to the state, stressing that even those who have paid for meters are unable to receive them due to their unavailability.
“This is discouraging for us as a government. There is a need to be proactive in ensuring that people have access to both electricity and proper metering,” he added.
Commending President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to improving power generation and distribution, Governor Oyebanji noted that while the federal government’s initiatives are commendable, the lack of proper metering remains a significant issue.
He also pointed out that despite connecting agricultural clusters to the grid, the expected electricity supply has yet to materialize.
In response, Lawal Lawal emphasised that the Presidential Metering Initiative is a direct effort by President Tinubu to bridge Nigeria’s electricity metering gap.
He noted that the signing of the Nigerian Electricity Act 2023 has opened opportunities for enhanced electricity infrastructure nationwide.
He revealed that the President had given a directive to urgently address the seven million-meter deficit in the country, adding that states have played a crucial role in supporting the initiative.
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Lawal commended Governor Oyebanji for his administration’s financial and logistical contributions, which have significantly aided the project’s implementation.
The PMI aims to deploy seven million end-use meters across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas under the country’s 12 electricity distribution companies (DISCOs).
