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Group Urges Residents To Be Cautious Of Ondo Govt’s Suspicious Promises To End 10-year Blackout

September 10, 2018

In a statement obtained by SaharaReporters in Akure, Olumide Akinrinlola, Coordinator of the Bring Back Our Light (BBOL) group, who said the meeting might be another form of deception, passed a vote of no confidence on the present state government led by Governor Rotimi Akeredolu.

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Residents of the southern senatorial district of Ondo State, who have been in darkness for ten years, have expressed reservations on trusting the state government as the latter plans to meet with them tomorow.

A meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday, September 11, 2018, between the state government and the people, on the power outage situation in the area.

In a statement obtained by SaharaReporters in Akure, Olumide Akinrinlola, Coordinator of the Bring Back Our Light (BBOL) group, who said the meeting might be another form of deception, passed a vote of no confidence on the present state government led by Governor Rotimi Akeredolu.

According to him, the government has not been sincere with his electoral promises to the people of the southern senatorial district. 

He noted that in as much as people of the area appreciated the call for the proposed meeting, they would not be carried away by “fake promises”.

He advised the people of the area to honour the governor's invitation by attending the town hall meeting as scheduled, but urged them to be careful of government’s sudden interest in their plight, especially with the approaching 2019 elections.

He said: "We must all be suspicious why our governor who promised to restore electricity to us after three months in office is now coming to meet with us at this time.

"We are very close to another election, and despite several visits to the government on the same issue by our royal fathers, with several appeals by our people, there was no hope from government.

"As much as we appreciate this new development, we are using this medium to put our people on alert and to also advise them to put on their thinking caps, and not to appear gullible in the course of this meeting, most especially now that another election has come. 

"They should stick to their decision not to participate in the forthcoming 2019 election, if electricity is not restored to the four affected local government areas.”

They urged Akeredolu to work with his Edo State counterpart, Governor Godwin Obaseki, on the call for the revocation or stoppage of the renewal of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) operating licence, which is due this month. 

"Our planned peaceful mega protest which has been scheduled to hold at Omotosho Power Plant will hold as planned, to show our grievances and to expose all the atrocities of BEDC and the failure of the management of Omotosho Power Plant to obey the Local Content agreement," he said. 

On Sunday, September 9, 2018, the Ondo State government had said the town hall meeting became necessary to address the blackout. 

An announcement by Agboola Ajayi, Ondo deputy governor, read: "Akeredolu, in his determination and commitment to restore electricity to the areas will on Tuesday, September 11, 2018 meet with the people of Ese-Odo, Ilaje, Irele and Okitipupa Local Government Areas at the Williams' Place Igbokoda by 11am, and Idepe Town Hall, Okitipupa by 1pm, respectively.

"Mr Governor is clearheaded about the fact that the wealth of the state is in the belly of Southern District and therefore can't allow the people to live in darkness.”