Ogun State Assembly Advances Bill to Improve Electricity Generation and Distribution

The Ogun State House of Assembly has made a move towards enhancing the state’s power sector with the second reading of a bill aimed at improving electricity generation, transmission, and distribution.

The bill, titled “HB No. 017/OG/2024 – Ogun State Power Sector Law,” was debated by lawmakers during a plenary session presided over by Speaker Oludaisi Elemide.

The motion for the second reading was moved by Babatunde Tella, seconded by Damilare Bello, and supported by the entire house through a unanimous voice vote. Lawmakers emphasized the importance of the bill in improving electricity supply, promoting healthy competition among operators, and creating an enabling environment for industries and small businesses.

The bill seeks to leverage the recent move by the National Assembly to transfer electricity generation, transmission, and distribution from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent list, allowing states to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity within their jurisdiction.

Lawmakers praised the federal and state governments for this initiative, noting that it would help resolve over 50% of the challenges facing the people, reduce rural-urban migration, and enhance access to power.

Speaker Elemide highlighted the bill’s potential to improve electricity generation, transmission, and distribution, enforce consumer rights, and break the monopoly of electricity providers. He charged the Committee of the Whole with further legislative action and announced a stakeholders’ forum on the State Power Sector Bill for September 5, 2024.