Abandoned electrification project, decaying transformer worry Oke-Ayo, Gaun communities
Written by Kunle Awosiyan, LagosFriday, 03 June 2011
Residents of Oke-Ayo, Gaun Magboro community in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, have called on the new state governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, to find a lasting solution to the decaying electrical facilities in the area.
The residents told Community Tribune that all the transformers installed in the area, through rural electrification project, about five years ago, had been abandoned. They said the transformers had rust, while some of the electrical poles had fallen with their cables presently rotting on the ground.
According to them, the project was done during the administration of the former governor of the state, Chief Olusegun Osoba but that he was never connected to the national grid to supply electricity to the community.
When Community News visited the area, it observed that the place had been lined with electric poles, cables and transformers but, with no light. It was learnt that the facilities were never used.
It was also gathered that the residents had been living in the dark for years despite the fact that necessary electric facilities had been put in place.
According to the Chairman of the Community Development Association for Oke-Ayo in Gaun, Alhaji Lateef Balogun, it is a great waste of money and state resources to have these facilities decaying just because the government refused to rectify the anomaly.
“Anybody that visits Magboro in the night will think there is electricity there but it is not so.
We all use generator. With the electric poles, cable and transformers, one will think there is electricity. It is a lie. The facilities got there through rural electrification project but had since been abandoned. The transformer is rusting. We have to activate it if we are lucky to be connected to the national grid by this present government,” he said.
Alhaji Balogun said the association wrote letters to the past administration of Otunba Gbenga Daniel but nothing was done. He, however, urged Governor Ibikunle Amosun to beam his light of development on Magboro area.
According to him, the community is a six minute-drive to Lagos and should enjoy good infrastructure like good road, potable water and electricity.“It is not good that we live in this terrible condition in spite of our closeness to a big and cosmopolitan city like Lagos. We beg Amosun, in the name of God, to intervene now that we have the same party, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) controlling both Lagos and Ogun states.
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