Lagos State government has halted distribution of transformers and carrying out of fresh electrification projects in the semi-urban and urban areas.
Speaking at the state’s 2013 Community Week Celebration, Commissioner for Rural Development, Mr. Cornelius Ojelabi, noted that there’s high demand for transformers with an average of seven transformer requests daily from residents. But 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 focus more on rural areas, especially in terms of providing electricity,” he said.
Asked why the state was still embarking on electrification projects, Ojelabi stressed that the state government could not just hands-off 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.
