Oyo Government Faults Minister Of Power Adelabu On Status Of Ibadan Electricity Projects
Oyo Government Faults Minister Of Power Adelabu On Status Of Ibadan Electricity Projects
The state government also provided a clarification on the status of the 11MW Independent Power Project and the ongoing 12MW Ibadan Independent Power Gas Project.
The Oyo State government has responded to comments attributed to the Minister of Power, Bayo Adelabu, describing his remarks on electricity projects in the state as inaccurate and misleading.
The state government also provided a clarification on the status of the 11MW Independent Power Project and the ongoing 12MW Ibadan Independent Power Gas Project.
This is contained in a statement signed by the Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Dahud K Shangodoyin, who said the attention of the government had been drawn to certain inaccurate statements made by the minister regarding power infrastructure within the state, emphasising the need to set the record straight in the interest of the public.
According to Shangodoyin, contrary to the minister’s assertions, the 11 megawatt Independent Power Project (IPP) in Ibadan was not abandoned or non-functional, noting that the project was completed and partially operationalised.
Shangodoyin explained that about 5 megawatts of electricity were successfully commissioned during the testing phase of the project and that the facility supplied power to key government installations at the Agodi State Secretariat for a period of approximately five months.
The Commissioner said the electricity generated during the trial period supported several critical government operations at the Secretariat complex.
The government further clarified that the structure of the project had been misunderstood in public discussions, particularly the financial arrangement behind the power plant.
According to the statement, the 11MW facility was executed under a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), a model in which the state government did not directly fund the construction of the power plant.
“Oyo State Government did not release capital funds to the contractor for the project, as the project was fully funded through private investment,” the statement explained.
It added that the payments made by the government during the project’s test phase were strictly for electricity consumed and not for construction or execution of the project.
“Payments made were strictly for electricity consumed during the testing period, not for project execution,” the government said.
Shangodoyin noted that the main challenge affecting the project was not power generation capacity but distribution limitations.
According to the government, the inability to expand the electricity distribution network beyond the Agodi Secretariat prevented the project from reaching residential and commercial areas in the city.
The statement specifically mentioned the Bodija–Total Garden corridor as one of the key areas where electricity supply expansion had been planned but had not yet been fully implemented due to infrastructure constraints.
“The limitation observed was not in generation alone but in distribution expansion, particularly the need to extend supply beyond the Secretariat to residential and commercial corridors such as the Bodija–Total Garden axis,” the government stated.
The Commissioner added that discussions and technical engagements were ongoing with project partners in order to resolve the structural and commercial issues affecting the distribution expansion.
Meanwhile, the state government also disclosed significant progress on a new and more advanced electricity project currently underway in Ibadan.
According to Shangodoyin, the state has commenced the 12MW Ibadan Independent Power Gas Project as part of a broader energy strategy aimed at building a more sustainable electricity supply system.
The government described the new project as technically more robust and structured to support long-term electricity delivery across strategic sectors.
“The project is significantly advanced, with civil works, generator base infrastructure, and ancillary facilities already well underway,” Shangodoyin said.
Shangodoyin added that transmission infrastructure installation is also progressing across different parts of Ibadan, with concrete poles and other distribution fittings currently being installed in preparation for the expansion of power supply.
Unlike the earlier project that primarily served government offices during testing, the 12MW gas-powered facility is expected to serve a wider range of users once operational.
According to the government, the project has been designed to power key public institutions, support street lighting infrastructure and extend electricity supply to economic clusters across the city.
The commissioner stressed that the new project represents a shift from experimental electricity supply efforts to a structured and scalable electricity system for the state.
“This project represents a shift from experimental power supply to a structured, scalable, and integrated electricity solution for Oyo State,” the government noted.
While acknowledging that criticism and public scrutiny are part of governance, the state government emphasized that such criticism must be based on verified information.
It therefore maintained that the comments made by the Minister of Power did not accurately reflect the realities of the electricity projects in Oyo State.
“While constructive criticism is welcome, it must be anchored on verified information,” tShangodoyin said.
“The statement by the Honourable Minister of Power is clearly deficient in facts and does not reflect the true position of ongoing developments in Oyo State.”
