The Nigerian Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, has criticized Oyo State Government's independent power initiatives, describing the 11KV power project at the State Secretariat, Agodi, as a "moribund" venture and a "woeful failure."
The minister, in a video currently making the rounds on social media, expressed dissatisfaction with the project's progress, alleging that despite the substantial public funds invested by the state administration, the initiative has failed to yield any tangible benefits for the citizens of the state.
He noted that the complexities of power generation and distribution appeared to have overwhelmed the state's technical execution.
"The only power initiative that the Oyo State government was trying to put together is moribund," the Minister stated.
"Not a single kilowatt of power has been generated and supplied. It shows that it is not as easy as they think."
The 11KV project was originally designed to provide an independent and stable power supply to the State Secretariat complex and its environs, potentially easing the pressure on the national grid within the Ibadan metropolis.
However, Chief Adelabu challenged the state government to provide evidence of the project's functionality, insisting that the facility remains non-operational.
"I stand to be challenged " Adelabu added. "Let them show the people where the power is being generated and who is consuming it."
As of the time of filing this report, the Oyo State Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources has yet to issue an official rebuttal to the Minister's assertions.
The exchange marks a deepening of the discourse surrounding sub-national interventions in the power sector, following the signing of the Electricity Act 2023, which grants state governments the legal framework to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity within their jurisdictions.
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