Kwara Govt appeals to IBEDC for improved power supply to the state

The Kwara State Government has made a passionate appeal to the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) for improved power supply to the state for efficient functioning of its facilities, especially the waterworks.

The State Commissioner for Water Resources, Hon. Usman Yunusa Lade made the appeal during a meeting with the Regional Head and management of the Distribution Company, held in his office.

The Commissioner disclosed that the purpose of the meeting was to inform IBEDC of the epileptic power supply in the recent times, and how it has adversely affected the normal pumping of water by the waterworks for effective use of the people of the state, especially in the Ilorin metropolis.

“Without power supply, we can not operate at a maximal level even when our facilities are intact. However, we need to understand your challenges, and at the same time, we need to improve the service we render to the public”, he said.

Lade advised that both parties have to look into the problem holistically and proffer possible solutions to improve power supply as expected.

Lending her voice to the matter, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs. Christiana Asonibare explained that the poor power supply has also affected the Ministry in its day-to-day operations, appealing to IBEDC to find a lasting solution to the problem of incessant power outages.

Earlier, the Regional Head of IBEDC in the Kwara Region, Engr. Oluwatoyin Akinyosoye had informed the Commissioner that the current epileptic power supply is a national issue, which he said is receiving attention.

Akinyosoye explained that the megawatt allocated to the state has dropped drastically, which informed the ratitionalization of power supply in the first instance, emphasizing that IBEDC has five regions and Kwara is one of them, in which a quarter of the power supply is allocated to the state which is 12.6, equivalent to 13% of the national grid, and is grossly inadequate.

The Regional Head explained further that low water levels and shortage of gas were additional challenges militating against their power plants, adding that this has made them take supplies from another location.

He, however, promised that after the meeting, they would check and see how things could be fixed in order to provide prompt and efficient services to the people of the state.

Also speaking, the Head of the Commercial Unit, known as the Business Hub Technical of IBEDC in Kwara state, Engr. Emmanuel Audu assured that the two dams, Agba and Asa Waterworks, which are mostly affected, would be resolved through sawmill.