Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun has disclosed that the state government is considering generating electricity from the 9 Megawatts hydro power plant, located within the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority.
The governor, who stated this during an on-the-spot assessment of facilities at the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority on Friday, said that his administration is already in alliance with the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) on the modalities for the takeover.
He said that taking over the hydro power plant will boost his administration’s plan to improve power supply across the state, as it would be merged with the 30 Megawatts power plant in Onijanganjangan, which, being gas-fired, would ensure that the state has the right energy mix.
Governor Abiodun stated that the abandoned dam and hydro power plant, commissioned in 1983, represents stranded renewable energy that his administration intends to take advantage of.
He described the idea behind the establishment of the dam as noble, as it was meant to manage water outflow from neighbouring countries, local water tributaries, irrigation, power generation, and farming, among others.
“From the information we have, one of the three turbines was commissioned, but the other two were not commissioned because they were not fully installed.
“We have been engaging with the Bureau of Public Enterprises, and there is an alliance between our government and the Bureau to take over this hydro power plant and merge it with our gas-fired plant so that we have the right energy mix.
“And that is another reason why we are here: to see what we can do to ensure that the stranded or idle power plants are fully optimized.
“I am sure that in the next few weeks, engineers will be here to ascertain the integrity and how we can resuscitate this plant for the use and benefit of our sons and daughters of Ogun State under our Ogun State Light Up Project. I mentioned earlier that we are going to have power plants in Abeokuta, Ijebu, Remo, and Yewa to ensure that we have enough power supply,” he said.
The Governor also spoke on the need to turn the land around the River Basin into farm clusters to take advantage of the presence of water and irrigation for all-year farming seasons, in line with the Renewed Hope Food Initiative of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to him, the vast land around the River Basin axis is also suitable for cattle farming, as cattle require water.
“We’ve seen that we can further utilize the potential that the dam offers. We will ensure that we look at the ownership of farmlands around here, ensure that there is proper acquisition of those farms, and ensure that those farms are properly farmed, particularly under the Renewed Hope Food Initiative, to ensure we grow what we eat and eat what we grow,” he added.
Governor Abiodun applauded the forebears of the country for conceiving the project, stating, “This project is laudable, but just like many federal government ideas and projects, most times, you find them not sustained and not fully optimized, and this is no exception.”
Governor Abiodun also noted that the Managing Director of the River Basin has debunked the rumors that it is the water from the dam that causes the perennial flooding in Isheri, adding that his administration would look into the claims of the Managing Director that the flooding is a result of water from other sources.
