It is in a bid to reassure the people of the commitment of government to see the quick resolution of electricity problem in the four local governments which comprises Ondo South senatorial district that the people have been facing and which has gotten on their last nerves, that the State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, led his team on Tuesday to hold stakeholders meetings at Idepe, Okitipupa Local Government, and at Igbokoda, Ilaje Local Government.
THE Governor appealed to the people to give peace a chance and not disrupt the work of the contractors as they try to bring a close to their ugly past.
AND the people responded saying that they hope this time around, the government will deliver on its promise and timeously too. They have experienced so much pain and have all but lost hope as they have been living like second class citizens in their country, disregarded and forgotten.
THE Southern Senatorial District of Ondo State has had arguably the worst experience when it comes to availability of power with most of the area experiencing darkness for most of the last ten years.
IT’S been an ordeal that has been almost unbearable, with businesses collapsing and many had to rely permanently on generators adding to the cost incurred by business owners.
CHILDREN have been born who probably had not known what it means to have electricity in their houses from the power grid, knowing only candle and lantern lights, which add to expenses incurred by households.
THE people cannot wait any longer to be brought from the “dark ages” and join the modern world to enjoy the good things of life and experience their fair share of development occasioned by power availability.
WHAT the district has experienced in the last ten years can be directly linked with the high rate of unemployment and the consequent youth restiveness in the area as the efforts to draw the attention of the concerned authorities to the plight of the people have failed, and their cry for help fallen, as it were, on deaf ears.
BUT now, an answer has come for the people of the four affected local governments: Irele, Ese-Odo, Okitipupa and Ilaje, to the question of when they would eventually become part of the country again, having been cut off from the power grid for such a long time, due to alleged high debt profile.
THE electricity distribution and other gadgets which dot the area, because of long term unuse, would need to be put in order so that the people can smile again, and start forgetting the pains of their recent past.
AND not only has work began in earnest in the affected local governments towards putting the decayed electricity infrastructure in the area in the right shape, the State government has embarked on house to house solar projects to bring electricity to the different households through solar energy .
THIS should definitely calm frayed nerves in the area and become a beacon of hope in the heart of the people that they have not been forgotten as they might have thought.
SO in a two-pronged approach, with efforts coming from both the federal and state governments, the people would eventually be assured of availability of power generation in the area.
THE HOPE commends the government for the steps taken so far and for making it a point of duty to speak directly to the people where they are, preaching peace and showing them that the worst will soon be over and that they will return to the life they were used to, and even better.
WE join our voice to those who spoke at the stakeholders meetings for the youth of the area to embrace peace and just be a little patient to see to the effective end of the process as it unfolds and not constitute a clog in the wheel.
IT is also needful to reiterate the importance of communicating the progress made in the execution of the projects, at quick and regular intervals.
TO leave a vacum will not augur well for everyone concerned, as it will allow rumours and hearsays to fester. It could ultimately make citizens who were unnecessarily agitated, to doubt thinking that they have been taken for a ride again.
WE plead with His Excellency to see to the early completion of the electricity projects in the area . Such would make people living to have a sense of belonging.
