Say move will break years of energy mismanagement

The Coalition of Pan-Yoruba Groups, under the aegis of the Alliance for Yoruba Democratic Movements (AYDM), has commended the decision of the Lagos State Government to officially grant electricity distribution licences to two new companies.

The Coalition described the initiative as “the most important public-interest decision in Lagos State since 1999,” commending Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, for what it called a “bold and visionary step toward energy stability.”

In a statement signed by its Secretary, Popoola Ajayi, and Mobilisation Director, Kunle Oshodi, after its executive council meeting yesterday, the AYDM said the state’s move to license new operators marked “a radical departure from gross corporate irresponsibility to a new frontier in the search for energy stability in Lagos State.”

According to the statement, “Governor Sanwo-Olu and his team have written their names in history with this development, which will have far-reaching implications for the South-West and Nigeria at large.”

The Coalition, however, urged the federal and state governments to go beyond registering new operators by investigating the activities of existing Distribution Companies (DisCos), whom they accused of “crimes against the people.”

The AYDM alleged that “many Lagos residents had lost their lives or property due to the negligence and recklessness of the current electricity distribution companies,” citing cases of abrupt disconnections in hospitals, power surges that caused fires, and alleged attacks on electricity consumers.

The Coalition said that the new development would “save businesses and industries from the brink of collapse,” noting that poor electricity supply has crippled economic, health, and industrial growth, as well as its nightlife, in the state.
”
Millions of consumers have been sidelined by arrogant bullies who parade themselves as operators but have no compassion for the people,” it said.

The Coalition also disclosed plans to publish a book documenting what it described as “the atrocities of DISCOs in Lagos State,” including cases of extortion, inefficiency, and disregard for consumers.