Ondo State Government spent N2.5 billion on rural electrification projects in the last three and a half years,? Mr. Sola Akinsanmi, Chairman, Ondo State Electricity Board, said.
Akinsanmi told newsmen in Akure that the current state administration completed 110 electrification projects in the 18 local government areas during the period.
?He said the administration inherited 43 uncompleted electrification projects from its predecessor but had completed them.
The chairman said the board was currently executing 16 projects out of which eight would be connected to the national grid in one week.
He, however, said that inadequate funding was a major challenge to the activities of the board, in addition to acts of vandalism on equipment by miscreants, which had slowed the pace of work by the agency.
?“ Some vandals come around, attack and cart away vital parts of? equipment, particularly the feeder cable, cable between the transformer and the pillar which conveys power supply from the transformer,’’? he said.
?The chairman said the state had two 132KVA transformers, one in Akure serving Ondo Central and Ondo North senatorial districts, and another in Ondo town, which served Ondo South and Riverside communities.
?He said that an additional 132KVA transformer had been installed at Okeagbe Akoko in Akoko North-East Local Government Area, while another had been proposed for Ifon.
?He urged the Federal Government to allow the state government to be in- charge of power generation, transmission and distribution instead of distribution alone.
He also called for joint control of power supply by the states and the Federal Government.
‘’ Power is the key to the economy, we don’t talk of an industry, commerce, agriculture or any other thing without adequate power supply,’’ he said.
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