EIGHT HOURS POWER SUPPLY FOR SAPELE..........BEDC

STAKEHOLDERS OF SAPELE MEET WITH SPEAKER DSHA

Following the emergency meeting summoned by the Speaker of the Delta state House of Assembly, Honourable Monday Owvigho Igbuya to stakeholders of Sapele, the host community housing the Thermal Power station which is managed by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company, BEDC, an amicable solution seems to have been reached.

Chief Igbuya, who is representing Sapele at the House of Assembly as a concerned resident and stakeholder had last week, summoned a meeting following the protests that had been embarked by the people of Sapele in what they (Sapele residents) described as unfair treatment, the incessant power outage, high billing, extortion and many more which had culminated in the closure of many businesses in the town.

NAIJNEWSALERT had earlier in the week, interviewed Comrade Benson Okorodudu, a concerned stakeholder and resident of Sapele on the way forward and he had been forthcoming with his analytical approach to the issue of perennial blackout and outages in the ancient town of Sapele.

Speaking with NIAJNEWSALERT, Tuesday 31^st January 2017 on the emergency called by the Honourable Speaker of the Delta state House of Assembly for stakeholders of Sapele and the Benin Electricity Distribution Company, BEDC, Comrade Benson Okorodudu expressed his confidence in the ability of the Honourable Speaker to bring everybody together  and arrive at an amicable solution which would be pleasing to all.

The emergency meeting which had in attendance many of the prominent sons and daughters of Sapele, was held in the State capital of Asaba on Monday 30^th January, 2017 with the Speaker, Honourable Igbuya presiding.

The parlous energy situation of the nation took the centre stage as the stakeholders lamented the massive and persistent power outages in Delta state, particularly, Sapele which some say has become too perennial and embarrassing considering the fact that the town plays host to the National Independent Power Plant, (Thermal Power Station) located at Ogorode.

At the end of the deliberation, it was agreed between the residents and the Benin Electricity Distribution Company, BEDC that henceforth, “Sapele will be provided an eight hour uninterrupted power supply”.

Speaking at the meeting, Chief Monday Ovwigho Igbuya, Speaker of the Delta state Assembly who is also a resident of Sapele, described the electricity situation in Sapele as unbearable and oppressive.

According to Igbuya, the drop in electricity supply in the country and its effects on the people and organisations had become a cause for concern and that the stakeholders meeting was to proffer solutions to the worsening electricity situation in the town which had resulted in massive protests by the residents following the failure of the BEDC to provide power supply to them.

Honourable Igbuya queried the excuses of the BEDC and its non-performance including the attempts at shifting blame.

While calling for an end to the epileptic power supply being experienced in Sapele, he decried that the high monthly bills did not reflect the epileptic power supply, noting also, the spiraling cost of diesel needed to power alternative sources of electricity.

“What can the good people of Sapele do with epileptic supply of power? The situation has indeed killed “Small and Medium Scale Enterprises, SMSE’s and it has also increased to unemployment and social vices and tension”, Igbuya stated.

He therefore urged BEDC to “stop illegal collections by providing Prepaid Meters as the people of Sapele will pay their electricity bills”.

It could be recalled that in December 2016, residents of Sapele had protested the poor electricity supply to the town by BEDC. During the protest, the residents had not only condemned the three (3) hours electricity supply a day to the town as it resulted in many companies shutting down due to the poor power supply.

HON. ODEBALA, CHAIRMAN SAPELE LG

Present were Chief Igbuya (Speaker of DSHA) who presided over the meeting, the Chairman, House Committee on Power, Honourable Peter Onwusanya, Hon. Evance Ivwurie, Vice Chairman, House Committee on Power and, Barrister  Newworld Sofugha, Delta state Commissioner for Power.      

Also at the meeting are; Honourable Onojiafe Omizu Odebala, Chairman of Sapele Local government Council (himself a former member of the DSHA), representatives of Sapele, Eurafric, Sapele Independent Power Plant (representatives), Ogorode, Benin Electricity Distribution Company, BEDC, Nigeria Gas Company, Ekpan (representatives), Transmission Company of Nigeria (representatives and many other invited stakeholders.

      

CROSS SECTION OF STAKEHOLDERS