GBJOURNAL SPECIAL REPORT
To anyone living on the 18 kilometer stretch of road from Baji bridge to Seme, your lamentation about poor electricity supply will resemble the whining of an over-pampered child. While you groan in darkness for hours or days (depending on the mood of the electricity distribution company serving you), people in the area have not seen electricity for all of 16 years!
Rashida, a resident of the community, in frustration said, “You have to come to our rescue, we are tired of generators.”
If you were in her stead, you would be tired too. This is because you would have been so frustrated, you will need to be tired just to take a break from being frustrated.
Monday February 8, the Lagos State government announced at a town hall meeting that it was intervening to bring succor to the 32 communities currently not connected to the national grid in the area by building needed electricity infrastructure. The people were palpably elated; the joy on their faces will put the sun to shame.
Seme community is a border town between Nigeria and Benin Republic. It is home, largely to the Badagry people of Lagos but people in the communities are not connected to the National grid and for 16 years they have been providing their own electricity.
But Seme is too important to be left to its devises. Last week, Area Controller, Seme Border Command of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) told the Zone ‘A’ Coordinator of the NCS, Eporwei Edike that the command has generated N160 million between Monday and Tuesday that same week. This is despite the challenges of smuggling through illegal routes and detrimental exchange rate affecting their revenue.
There’s no better example of leaving the hen that lays the golden goose, battered, raped and left in the rain.
It was experiences like this that informs the decision of the Lagos State government to directly intervene in providing electricity to its disadvantaged citizens. The government plans to deepen its partnership with stakeholders in the electricity value chain through its “Light up Lagos” project.
At a press briefing on Monday, Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, through his Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Olawale Oluwo, told journalists, “The intention of the ‘Light up Lagos’ project is to provide power to all the nooks and crannies of Lagos State. This means that the state was moving away from Independent Power Projects (IPPs), to having the government work with stakeholders to provide power for the state.”
“Lagos State government is not the one to generate, we are not distributing and we are not the ones to supply the gas that will power the generation companies. The stakeholders who have bought the power assets following the privatization programme of the Federal government are the ones that will make this happen.
But the Lagos State government, having been elected by the people of Lagos, has a responsibility to ensure that while the private sector people are setting out to implement their roll out plans, the government must be with them as partners to ensure that if there are bottle necks, or we have bureaucracy that is disturbing them we can help them to demolish it – that is what this partnership is about.”
To actualize this dream, Ambode inaugurated an advisory committee made up of critical stakeholders in the electricity value chain including chief executives and directors of the two power distribution companies in Lagos, (Eko and Ikeja distribution companies), power generating companies, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), power plants, Attorney General of the State and private investors on December 9, 2015 and mandated them to light up every nook and cranny of the state.
“Light up Lagos,” is a turnkey policy of Lagos State government to deliver constant, safe and reliable energy to the metropolis by powering homes, businesses and public facilities to improve socio-economic development of the state.
The Commissioner along with the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Energy, Eng. Olujimi Hotonu, General Manager, Lagos State Electricity Board, Peter Okonji, Special Assistant to the Governor, Deji Williams, were conducted round several abandoned electricity infrastructure sites from Ashipa to Seme.
The Area Comptroller, Seme Border, Victor Dimka, received the team from the Lagos state government and said he was very elated with the visit. He also promised to provide security assistance when the project commences.
At the town hall meeting with the team from the Lagos State government, at Sultan Beach hall, hosted by Sejiro James, the traditional ruler of the community, Ibrahim Layole, member of the House Assembly representing constituency one, narrated the sorry tales of the community who have had to be without power supply for 16 years. He promised that any request for funds towards the project will be expeditiously approved.
The Executive Secretary of Badagry Local Government Development Association, Joseph Agoro said, “For the past 16 years, businesses have been suffering due to lack of power supply. We commend the governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode for keeping his campaign promise to the people of Badagry West.”
This move runs counter to modern realities that call for governments to leave businesses for the business people to manage, but when they cannot be bothered, Oluwo said that “government has a duty to the people.”
In the wake of crumbling crude oil prices and the constant calls for diversification of the county’s revenue base, critical attention ought to be paid to Nigeria’s border towns and one good way to start is by lighting up Seme.
