Businesses Suffer as Kogi Community Marks 1 Year without Electricity, Gov Ododo Urged to Intervene
- The Kogi State House of Assembly has called on the state government to urgently restore electricity in Ankpa LGA
- Lawmaker Lawal Akus, who moved a motion on the issue, highlighted the devastating impact of the outage on healthcare, businesses, and public safety
- The House unanimously supported the motion, directing relevant agencies to act swiftly to end the power crisis
Lokoja, Kogi state - The Kogi state House of Assembly on Friday, August 1, urged the state government to intervene and help restore public electricity supply to the Ankpa local government area.
Legit.ng gathers that the Lawal Akus, the lawmaker representing Ankpa 1 State Constituency, moved the motion during plenary in Lokoja, the state capital.
Source: Twitter
Ankpa in total blackout for 12 months - Akus
According to Akus, Ankpa, one of the most populous and economically significant LGAs in Kogi East, has been in total blackout for over a year.
He said the prolonged power outage has crippled businesses, endangered healthcare delivery, and worsened insecurity in the area.
“Ankpa has been in total blackout for over one year, a persistent crisis that represents a serious developmental setback with grave implications for education, healthcare, commerce and public safety," the lawmaker said.
“We cannot remain silent while thousands of our constituents continue to suffer. The lack of electricity has caused immense hardship to residents and resulted in crippling losses for small businesses, public institutions, health facilities and security operations.”
How previous efforts to restore power in Ankpa failed
Akus said the area was previously connected to a 33kV line from Otukpo in Benue, but the supply collapsed due to heavy overload on the line, which also served Omala and Olamaboro LGAs.
He said a more viable route from Ajaokuta via Anyigba had been recommended, with temporary improvements made in 2022 and 2023 in collaboration with the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC).
However, he said the power supply became unstable and eventually deteriorated into another prolonged blackout.
“It is most disheartening that Ankpa, the commercial hub of Kogi East, and its surrounding communities remain without public electricity, exposing residents to worsening economic hardship and daily suffering,” he said.
Akus urged the Kogi Ministry of Rural Development to liaise with AEDC to restore power to the affected areas, replace damaged poles and cross arms, and provide transformers and armoured cables in specific locations.
Kogi governor Ododo urged to intervene
The lawmaker also called on Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo to intervene with the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) for the completion of the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) in Ankpa, which includes two 7.5MVA injection substations now near completion.
The motion was seconded by Hon. Alewo Ujah Anthony, who represents Olamaboro Constituency. He appealed for Olamaboro to be included in the intervention plan.
The lawmakers described the situation as “untold hardship” and wondered how hospitals storing essential drugs and vaccines could continue operations without electricity.
Kogi assembly speaker backs motion
The Speaker, Rt. Hon. Umar Aliyu expressed concern and urged the Kogi state government to act swiftly.
The House unanimously adopted all the prayers and directed the clerk to communicate the resolutions to the executive and relevant agencies for immediate action.
Power experts mention causes of poor electricity supply
Meanwhile, the Chartered Institute of Power Engineers of Nigeria (CIPEN) has attributed Nigeria's ongoing electricity crisis to political interference and the government's failure to appoint qualified professionals to manage the power sector.
During a press briefing in Abuja to commemorate the institute’s second anniversary, CIPEN President and Chairman-in-Council, Israel Abraham, emphasised that the sector's most significant challenges stem from political influence and the appointment of individuals lacking the necessary expertise.
Recall that a 2025 World Bank report recently highlighted that Nigeria has the highest number of people without access to electricity, with 86.8 million individuals affected.
Source: Legit.ng
