Lagos cancels transformer distribution in urban areas

Lagos State government has ruled out
distribution of transformers and carrying out
fresh electrification projects in the semi-urban
and urban areas. This was revealed by the Commissioner for
Rural Development, Mr. Cornelius Ojelabi, who
spoke to Vanguard in Ikeja on the highlights of
the state’s 2013 Community Week Celebration. Ojelabi, who noted that there’s high demand
for transformers with an average of seven
transformer requests daily from residents said:
“With the privatisation of the Power Holding
Company of Nigeria, PHCN, we will still
continue with the distribution of transformers to residents of the state, but this time, we will
be focusing the rural areas. “The rural areas are those places that we know
the new investors can’t get to in the next five
years while the semi-urban and urban areas will
be left for the new investors to manage. “As we receive requests for transformers from
residents of urban and semi-urban areas, we
will aggregate it and send it to the investors for
distribution. All our projects will focuse more
on rural areas, especially in terms of providing
electricity.” On why the state was still embarking on
electrification projects, Ojelabi, stressed that
the state government could not just hands-off
from issues concerning electricity in the state
hurriedly, otherwise residents will continue to
have challenges with accessing electricity. “As part of our activities, we will be driving the
new investors to the rural areas because we
know the state better.
“While those in the distribution, should focus
on providing the pre-paid metres, with this,
residents will only pay for the power supply they have used, “ he said. Meantime, as part of its efforts to make the
city of Lagos livable, the state government will
hold a conference to examine the implications
of attaining a megacity status as well as focus
on health and social issues that characterise a
megacity. The conference tagged, ‘The Livable City;
Preparing for the Mental and Social Health
Needs of the Lagos Mega City,’ is expected to
draw participants from members of the state’s
Executive Council and other policy makers,
lawmakers, city planners, journalists, public opinion leaders, leaders of private industry,
leaders in the health, education, environment
and social welfare sectors, religious and
traditional leaders, as well as members of the
general public. Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, who
disclosed this, weekend, on the objective of
the conference, said it was scheduled to start
Thursday.