EARLIER, in the week, Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu recently inaugurated projects for the restoration of electricity supply to the state Southern Senatorial District.

THE projects involve  the installation of a solar power plant in households of Aboto,  Igbobini and surrounding areas before their  connection to the grid  by the federal government.

THE initiative will include the construction  of substations in Igodan-Lisa and  University of Science and Technology.

THE projects, which are based  on a   survey conducted in the area, would include the rehabilitation of the five-kilometer, 33 kv line from Okitipupa to Igodan-Lisa.

THE federal government is partnering with the  State government on the project. While the Niger Delta Power  Holding Company will  carry out the projects, the office of the Special Adviser  to  the Governor on Public Utilities will cater for the interest of the state government.

ACCORDING to Engineer Ifeoluwa Oyedele, the  Executive Director of Niger Delta Power Holding Company, the project will be finalized within  six months.

ON the part  of the state government, it has  embarked on a mini-grid and solar-power supply to some communities in the  area not connected to  the National Grid.

NEEDLESS to say, the people in the Southern Senatorial District have been experiencing challenges over power supply in the past ten years.

CONSEQUENTLY, they have been forced to live in darkness, with their business activities paralysed due to shortage of power.

STAKEHOLDER meetings have taken place with a view to finding solutions to the challenge, but they have failed to achieve any kind of success due to multifarious problems.

THOUGH past administrations have intervened in the  issue, they  were unable to   alleviate the problems of the people.

SEEN within this context, The Hope commends the federal and state governments for taking steps to tackle the challenge  head on.

WITH their intervention, local fishing in the area will experience a boost, as fishermen and women would not have much problems preserving their catch.

EQUALLY important, the cost  of buying fuel and diesel to power generators will crash, enabling the beneficiaries to improve their profit margin.

THIS will ease the pressure they are experiencing  over an economic recession that continues to paralyze economic activities in the country.

THE development will boost local businesses that depend on power for their operations, leading to expansion in employment  rates.

SINCE youths would be offered employment opportunities by the contractors during the construction period of the projects, they would find a temporary solution to their unemployment problems.

THE federal government, the state government, fishermen and women and youths will end up winners once light is restored to the Southern Senatorial District.

HAVING said this, we appeal to the contractors to expedite action on the project, to prevent youths having to block the Lagos-Ore-Benin Expressway in protests over the blackout in the area.

WE also call on stakeholders in the benefitting communities to cooperate with the contractors during the period of the intervention.

UNLESS  the contractor are allowed to carry out their duties in a peaceful atmosphere, they would not be able to restore power to the area.

WHILE thanking the Akeredolu administration for partnering with the federal government on the project, we call on it to look for more partners as regards the endemic power problem in the Southern Senatorial District.

IT should  provide adequate security to the contractors so they are not molested by troublemakers bent on  causing  problems.

FOR instance, security will definitely be needed to protect the solar panels needed for the intervention from thieves  and other miscreants.

It should also ensure the federal government fulfills its promise to connect the project to the national grid at the termination at the installation period. With cooperation from all stakeholders, the people in the Southern Senatorial District will  be provided  an enabling environment to increase their quota towards the overall development of the state.