Power supply: Ogunlewe calls for decentralisation of electricity generation
Ogunlewe, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Lagos, said the current system in which electricity was transmitted from the national grid would not guarantee constant electricity supply.
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![From left: Permanent Secretary, Basic & Secondary Education, Abayomi Abolaji; Commissioner for Basic Education, Jamiu Alli-Balogun and Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso during the Lagos State Government 2024 Ministerial Press Briefing by the Ministry of Basic Education in Lagos on Thursday [NAN]](data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D'http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg'%20width%3D'100'%20height%3D'100'%20data-ring-placeholder%3D'1'%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E "From left: Permanent Secretary, Basic & Secondary Education, Abayomi Abolaji; Commissioner for Basic Education, Jamiu Alli-Balogun and Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso during the Lagos State Government 2024 Ministerial Press Briefing by the Ministry of Basic Education in Lagos on Thursday [NAN]")
The ex-minister said that electricity transmission through the national grid was an obsolete system in today’s world, saying that the norm was for states and companies to generate and transmit electricity directly to consumers.
“A major reason why we have not achieved sufficiency in electricity supply is that we still stick to a system where we generate electricity and everything must go to the national grid to get to the consumers.
“That system is obsolete and will not guarantee steady electricity supply. The model in countries that have achieved constant supply is decentralisation.
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“Decentralisation in such a manner that federating units can produce and distribute to people.
“Why can’t Rivers, Ogun and Kano States build power plants and give electricity? Why should they have to go through the national grid? Why can’t companies be allowed to do same?
“The fact is that the current system cannot get us to the desired place.
“There must be a review of the relevant laws to allow generation and transmission of power from multiple sources for direct use by the people,” he said.
The ex-minister urged Nigerians to imbibe the culture of energy conservation for optimal use of the limited megawatts generated.
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Ogunlewe, also a former Managing Director, the Federal Emergency Road Management Agency (FERMA), said there was urgent need to fix bad portions on the highways to ease movement.
He urged the government to explore the tolling option to fund the maintenance of Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and other major highways.
“The truth is that we can’t maintain and reconstruct major highways without using public funds such as tolls.
“Look at Lagos-Ibadan Expressway for instance; thousands of people use that road everyday, so it can maintain itself.
“All we need to do is to introduce tolling and entrust that job to people with capacity.
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“We will get the money to spend on maintenance and save public funds for other things,’’ Ogunlewe said.
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