The Lagos State Government has called for the urgent review of Nigeria’s power generation and distribution law under the purview of the Federal Government based in view of the huge amount spent on diesel daily by industries especially manufacturing sector in the State.

Lagos State Commissioner for Energy, Engr. Olalere Odusote made this call on Wednesday as part of his submission at the end of the 3rd Real Estate Market Place Conference and Exhibitions held in Victoria Island.

Speaking on Sustainable Energy Solutions in the Real Estate, the Commissioner said that personal energy generated by individuals, corporate organisations including real estate practitioners usually come with huge financial burden in addition to the environmental pollution that comes with it.

According to him, the country’s Real Estate sector is still begging for huge investment in the area of power to make the sector more viable and attractive to potential investors.

He explained that this became necessary as most private individuals and businesses in Lagos utilised diesel powered generators rather than electricity from the national grid.

According to him, the two distribution companies in Lagos State – Eko Disco and Ikeja Electric – established nine years ago, sell about 800 to 900 megawatts initially and have only improved to 800 to 1,000 megawatts nine years after.

“Nothing has changed in the national grid sector nine years after. However, Lagos State within a spate of nine years had grown from having about 8,000 megawatts of installed diesel capacity to about 23,000 megawatts.

“The diesel market of the off-grid market has grown by about 300 per cent but the grid market has not grown at all or just about one to two per cent,” he said.

He added that the state injected almost 1,000 transformers into the grid to improve electricity supply to its residents, but without the desired result.

Odusote said a lot of the energy utilised in Lagos came from diesel generators, and that because of the high population of the city, the emission from that energy source had become unsustainable.

The Commissioner explained that Lagos had been projected to be city with the largest population in the world in 50 years, therefore energy for the housing infrastructure needed for the population must be put into consideration.

Odusote said that was why the state government came up with the Lagos Electricity sector policy, with the aim of providing universal access to electricity for all residents of the state.

He stated that the draft of the Lagos electricity law had been completed and was before the state’s House of Assembly for consideration.

Odusote explained that the bill, when implemented, would take regulation of electricity from the centre and domicile it with the Lagos regulatory agency.

“The Nigerian constitution domiciles the responsibility of regulation and distribution of electricity with the state government but when the law was passed in 2002, many states were not ready for the responsibility.

“Many housing estates in the state run on diesel generators because they are unable to benefit from the grid, yet they cannot share from the excess capacity they currently have because the Federal Government does not permit it.

“Lagos is now ready, willing and in the process of passing the law. It means we will be able to locally determine our faith when it comes to electricity,” he said.

According to him, the Lagos Regulatory Agency will work with the residents and the state government to determine the need of the electricity market and make laws that will enable investors to invest in identified gaps.

The commissioner said the state was working with the Federal Government to ensure its laws were reviewed and the new law passed at the National Assembly aligned with the state’s law and in line with the development of the sector.

Odusote explained that the state was working with the built environment and other private sector operators to create a framework that would ensure that by 2036, everybody that wanted electricity in Lagos got it.

On her part, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Housing, Mrs Toke Benson Awoyinka promised that LASRERA will sustain the use of sanctions to rid the industry of fraudulent Real Estate Agents.

She added that the state government was determined to ensure sanity was restored to its real estate environment.


Adeoti Sobowale
Deputy Director Public Affairs LASRERA
8th December, 2022.

dedonfranco:
State Governors are not investing in power.

tamdun:
Other state should wake up,fg is unreliable...

oz4real83:
Whenever I'm in the state I am currently, I always remember Fashola and won't stop invoking the curses of our ancestors on him. I have been without light for some weeks now, without any explanation from Bedc. They will still bring estimated billing to us at month end because they refused to distribute prepaid meters. If we had prepaid meters, our money will still be intact if power is not supplied. At a time, the house of reps wanted to criminalise estimated billing, Fashola stood against it as minister of power, he claimed that if estimated billing was criminalised, it will discourage investors from the sector. That single act of his ensured that the Discos will keep reaping where they didn't sow

oz4real83:
Whenever I'm in the state I am currently, I always remember Fashola and won't stop invoking the curses of our ancestors on him. I have been without light for some weeks now, without any explanation from Bedc. They will still bring estimated billing to us at month end because they refused to distribute prepaid meters. If we had prepaid meters, our money will still be intact if power is not supplied. At a time, the house of reps wanted to criminalise estimated billing, Fashola stood against it as minister of power, he claimed that if estimated billing was criminalised, it will discourage investors from the sector. That single act of his ensured that the Discos will keep reaping where they didn't sow

Nahunger:
Jeon come to daddy

EdiskyHarry:
I'm from Akwa ibom.
The love I have for Lagos state and their governors is unmatched to any. Their governors know where to invest in the state
I'll visit Lagos state one day even if it's 24 hours.

Nahunger:
Jeon come to daddy

DaddyCK:


Bro..u do realise u chaatin to z nairaland known guy faggggot pretending to be female....right?...the faggggot is 100% male. 40% of them ha already been exposed on nairaland. Yor risk! We working on baiting them, catching them, put them in hospital & then posting on social media.
He is our nomba 3 target to hunt

Beedude:

Fashola was right. Until the privatisation agreement Discos signed with past administration expires, there is nothing any minister or president can do. An agreement is an agreement.
Why not get a prepaid meter instead. Free prepaid meter takes time but if u visit the unit in charge at any nepa office close to u, u can get an official to facilitate or fast track it for a token(make sure it is their office). I stopped using estimated billing in my house and office since 2020. We were on lockdown and electricity was poor but I still get 18k bill monthly at home and office. It was Hell. A nepa official who isn't your mate will have the audacity to talk to u becos of a bill u never used .It triggered me to apply for 3 prepaid meters and got it in less than 2 months.
So stop cursing Fashola. There are so many things attached to all these Discos that so many people are not aware.
I hope FG can allow state generate and distribute electricity as well. Once there is competition in the industry, things will be fine

Okealaaye:


Obasanjo killed the initiative. Tinubu was going to pioneer the effort but Obasanjo couldn't live with the idea. An opposition governor pioneering electricity generation and distribution in Nigeria? No way. That was the end of the Deal between Enron and the Lagos State government in Year 2000 or thereabouts, in case you did not believe my story. Also, it's on the internet; you may wish to check it out.

jidamsel43:
Lagos is like a country on its own.

DaddyCK:


Bro..u do realise u chaatin to z nairaland known guy faggggot pretending to be female....right?...the faggggot is 100% male. 40% of them ha already been exposed on nairaland. Yor risk! We working on baiting them, catching them, put them in hospital & then posting on social media.
He is our nomba 3 target to hunt

Jeon:


Nah DaddyCK, will be mad