Okpebholo And The Coming Darkness: Why Edo State Deserves Better

IN an interview with British Broadcasting Company (BBC) a few days ago, Monday Okpebholo, the All Progressives Congress (APC) promised to provide 24-hour electricity to Edo State citizens by buying transformers and electric poles if elected governor on September 21st. Okpebholo’s simplistic and mundane solutions or prescriptions to salvaging the energy crisis are a clear signal that there would be recession into the caves or caverns should he be elected as Governor of the state.

In today’s modern power generation era, no political leader with requisite knowledge should be talking about transformers and electricity poles as the means or sources of power generation without beaming search light on hydropower generation, sustainable and renewable energy or solar power.

One is not even sure if Monday Okpebholo is aware that power generation, which used to be on the exclusive list that made power generation the exclusive right of the Federal Government, has changed. The state governors now have constitutional powers to generate electricity without unnecessary interference from the federal government.

In these times and age, any serious candidate for governorship should not be talking about transformers and electricity poles without a deeper insight on how electricity is generated. One should have expected by now that Monday Okpebholo is in the known that Edo communities already have sufficient transformers and electricity poles scattered throughout the state, but they remain ineffective because they are not connected to the power grid.

Edo people deserve a visionary leader like Dr. Asue Ighodalo, who has pledged to build upon Governor Godwin Obaseki’s power generation legacy. For instance, Governor Obaseki pioneered the Ihovbor Power Station in Benin City with the capacity of 4 x 112.5 MW (NIPP). The same goes with the Azura-Edo IPP, which is an open-cycle gas fired power plant with a capacity of 461 MW 3 gas turbine.

Included in Governor Obaseki’s power generation efforts is the Ossiomo Power Station in Benin City that is generating 55 MW for Benin Industrial and Enterprise Park, as well as some local communities in Ologbo, Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of Edo State and government establishments. That’s a total capacity of (MW) 550, active capacity (MW) 95, and pipeline capacity (MW) 455 as well.

Dr. Asue’s manifesto outlined a comprehensive plan for power generation, including heavier instruments in the power sector, as one of his major thrusts for the revitalization of the state towards his “Pathway to Prosperity” agenda. It’s time for Edo State to look and move forward with a leader who has a clear vision for a brighter future.

The future Edo people crave is in AI, not in the hands of Monday Okpebholo, the APC gubernatorial candidate. His unregenerating personality, his dry vision, his lack of clarity of thoughts and his embarrassing gaffes are signals for impending darkness, gloom and doom.

Erasmus Ikhide contributed this piece via: [email protected]