Ijebu Waterside Club sends SOS to FG over 7-year blackout in Ogun LGA

The Ijebu Waterside Club (IWC) has sent an SOS to the federal government over the total collapse of electricity supply in the Ogun waterside LGA.

The IWC made the call on Monday during a meeting with Gbenga Daniel, senator representing Ijebu east senatorial district.

The IWC, in a statement by Ahmed Tijani and Kehinde Lawal, its president and secretary respectively, said the electricity crisis has impeded socio-economic activities and development in the area in the last seven years.

The club said the abandoned government projects include the OK LNG; the Deep Sea Port; Laogo Resort; Gateway Industrial and Petro-Gas Institute (GIPI) in Oni; the only tertiary educational in the area; Iwopin Paper Mill, and a road contract linking Efire and Ayede-Ayila to Ondo state.

The IWC also said the Nigeria Electricity and Gas Improvement Project (NIGEP), a World Bank-backed project, in partnership with the federal government, has also been abandoned.

The club said the electricity project has remained abandoned as funds were not made available to pay compensation to affected stakeholders.

“We had always advocated for the establishment of a higher institution in our Local Government. We were therefore happy when you established during your tenure as our Governor the Gateway Industrial and Petro-Gas Institute (GIPI) to produce middle level manpower for anticipated projects in the OK FTZ and other Free Trade Zones in Ogun State,” IWC said.

“But today, the Institute needs help. It is your baby and we trust you will not allow it to die.

“The Iwopin Paper Mill was a  Federal Government project established in our Local Government some 43 years ago that suffered major operational failure like many projects during the military era.

“The subsequent administrations that ruled this country after, also failed to complete the project.

“Consequently, the Federal Government sold the Mill at a ridiculously low amount to the late Dr. Tunji Braithwaite, Chairman of BETCO, who promised to get investors to join him and get the project back on track. BETCO,  instead of bringing the company back on track, went ahead to scrap it.

“All the machinery including the buildings were sold as scraps. Today, Iwopin Paper Mill is totally empty and overgrown with weeds.”

In his response, the senator noted that the electricity crisis was unfortunate.

He promised to personally work with stakeholders across all tiers of government to bring the plight of Ijebu waterside area to the relevant authorities for prompt action.

He also lauded the visit by IWC as a patriotic cause, adding that effort being made by the group for the welfare of the people of Ogun waterside “must be commended”.