Alli Campaign Tackles Makinde Over Diesel Streetlights, ₦8.5bn Power Project

…As Group rejects inadequate electricity as excuse, says Oyo has legal powers to develop independent power solutions

The Senator Sharafadeen Alli Campaign Organisation has told Governor Seyi Makinde that there is no excuse for his administration’s continued reliance on diesel-powered generators to operate streetlights across Oyo State.

The campaign organisation was reacting to Makinde’s explanation that inadequate electricity supply was responsible for the continued use of fuel-powered generators for streetlights in the state.

In a statement by Bisi Oladele, Director of Media and Publicity of the campaign council, the organisation described the explanation as disingenuous, saying it exposed what it called glaring failure and incompetence on the part of the administration.

The campaign said the Electricity Act 2023, signed into law by President Bola Tinubu, empowered states to generate, transmit and distribute electricity to meet the energy needs of their people.

It noted that Oyo State had established the Oyo State Electricity Regulatory Commission and completed the transfer of regulatory oversight from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, giving the state the legal and regulatory authority to attract investors, license electricity projects and develop sustainable power solutions.

“Governor Makinde, therefore, has no excuse for his own incompetence and glaring failure,” the campaign said, arguing that the state should have taken advantage of the opportunity created by the law.

The organisation also questioned the outcome of the 11-megawatt Independent Power Project awarded to Elektron Energy, which it said was valued at ₦8.5 billion.

It alleged that the project failed to provide the expected electricity after billions of naira had been spent, adding that the Makinde administration later terminated it and left residents without the sustainable power promised for critical infrastructure, including streetlights, the government secretariat in Agodi and health facilities.

The campaign further alleged that the diesel-powered streetlights were no longer working in some areas, leaving major roads dark at night. It also claimed that the generators were being replaced every six months, describing the arrangement as a “job for the boys.”

It said blaming irregular power supply was particularly embarrassing for a governor who prides himself on being an electrical engineer, stressing that the purpose of leadership was to solve problems rather than repeatedly describe them or use them as excuses for failure.

“After more than seven years in office, the governor cannot continue blaming external forces for problems that fall within the authority and capacity of his administration to address,” the statement said.

The campaign organisation called for a properly planned electricity strategy incorporating solar-powered streetlights, embedded generation, renewable energy, independent distribution networks and private-sector investment.

It added that this would be part of Senator Sharafadeen Alli’s focus if he becomes governor, saying Oyo residents do not need a government that spends heavily on publicity-driven projects and later manufactures excuses when such projects turn out to be a fiasco.