The House of Representatives has resolved to investigate the 10-year blackout in Ife South Local Council of Osun State.
The House yesterday mandated its Committee on Power to interface with the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to investigate the 10-year blackout.
The panel is also to probe the over N50 million alleged indebtedness to the power firm and report back to the lower legislative chamber in four weeks for further action.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion on the “Need to Intervene in the Disconnection of Electric Power Supply to Ife South Local Government Area, Osun State” moved by Ajilesoro Taofek Abimbola at plenary president over by Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila.
Presenting the motion, Abimbola recalled that successive administrations had made efforts to reform the sector with a view to improving electricity supply to Nigerians, yet billions of naira had been expended with little to show for the huge investments, as the citizens still grapple with outage almost on a daily basis.
He informed the chamber that the affected council area, with its headquarters in Ifetedo town, is made up of 15 communities, including Olode, Ayesan, Oke and Owena as well as over fifty 50 villages like Daranjo, Dagbolu, Olorombo, Aba Oba, among others.
The legislator added that the local council, which borders Ondo in the southern part of Ile-Ife, with high population density, is mainly peopled by civil servants, saw millers, artisans and farmers.
The House, however, implored the Federal Ministry of Power to undertake an assessment tour of the affected facilities and ascertain the level of their damage and the overall impact on the communities.
Besides, the green chamber has begun moves to criminalise the stigmatisation of victims of insurgency and militancy in the country.
Accordingly, a bill sponsored by Ben Rollands Igbakpa to that effect yesterday scaled second reading during plenary.
According to the piece of legislation, offenders are to be arrested, prosecuted and punished to serve as deterrent if it gets presidential assent.
Also yesterday, the lawmakers summoned the Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug
Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, and her predecessor, Dr. Paul Orhii, to appear before them next Tuesday to render the organisation’s 2009 to 2013 accounts.
Chairman of the chamber’s relevant committee, Oluwole Oke, gave the directive in Abuja after Orhii informed the panel yesterday that he did not come prepared as he got the information late from his successor.
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