The Lagos State Government on Thursday reaffirmed its commitment to facilitate 24 hours power supply in the state to accelerate socio-economic growth and development.
Mr Olawale Oluwo, Commissioner for Energy and Solid Minerals gave the assurance while speaking with newsmen after defending the ministry’s 2017 budget proposal with the Lagos State House of Assembly Committee on Energy and Minerals.
He said that the government would achieve the feat gradually, starting with pilot areas to be selected.
Olowo said that the state government, some eight months ago, started the Lagos State Light up embedded programme.
“The focus is to see how we can begin to take Lagos off the National grid area by area.
“We will work with the Discos; our intention is to guarantee those that will generate and let the Discos distribute to homes and businesses.
“This embedded power project will involve government supporting the general power generation and the people who will use the power would pay,’’ he said.
According to him, it will be done area by area, starting with a pilot scheme.
“We are on course, nothing will change it, and by 2017, we are going to go into the implementation.
“We gave assurance last year (2015) that Lagos would become an oil producing state and that Lagos State would have its own oil and gas company; we have delivered on those two.
“We gave assurance also that we would light up Lagos with street lights; we have done that substantially.
“Now, this year, we are giving residents and business owners assurance that we will begin the 24 hours power supply gradually with pilot areas we are going to select.
“We also give residents assurance that in 2017, we are working with consultants to tell residents all the solid minerals that are present in the state,” he said.
The commissioner said the ministry planned to put up an application to get an oil bloc for the state in 2017.
He expressed optimism that the State Executive Council would approve the programme early in 2017
According to him, the ministry has made budgetary provision to execute the project in 2017.
He also spoke on the use of solar power in the state.
“We are already using solar power; as we speak, we generate up to four megawatts of solar in Lagos State and we use it to power the schools in the rural areas and public health centres in the rural areas.
“We power about 117 schools and about 14 health centres in the rural areas in Epe, Badagry, Ojo, Ibeju-Lekki and Ikorodu,” he said.
He said that the state was dealing with energy giants to execute and sustain the technology.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the House Committee, Mr Folajimi Mohammed, expressed confidence in the budget, saying it would be beneficial to the residents.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the state already has an Integrated Power Project that supplies electricity to run government business in the state secretariat. (NAN)