Lagos playing catch-up behind the Taiwan of Africa this one time with blackouts-ending electricity generating ideas
With this, city residents and even those in remote locations will become their better productive selves since access to regular electricity would have been taken out of the issues they are daily confronted with.
This time around, Lagos State in the southwest of Nigeria is the one playing catch-up with its energy pursuit, as there is already Abia State in the eastern part of the country with its own independent electricity project which ensures supply to just nine local government areas. Well, it is better late than never as globe-trotting governor Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu signs the Lagos Electricity Bill 2024 into law.
According to the governor when he penned his signature evening time on Tuesday 3 December 2024 at the Lagos House, this new legislation tackles the ongoing challenges in our energy sector, aiming to promote economic growth, enhance [the] quality of life, and ensure energy equity for all Lagosians.
The law, explains Mr Sanwo-Olu tweeting from his X profile, specifically establishes a regulated electricity market that will provide affordable, reliable, and sustainable power. It is expected to encourage the use of different energy mixes including renewables.
With this, city residents and even those in remote locations will become their better productive selves since access to regular electricity would have been taken out of the issues they are daily confronted with.
This is certainly a step forward, the way their governor sees things developing. He can picture the fostering of investment and innovation, and delivering services to communities previously under-served.
But without the federally-moderated Electricity Act 2023 coming into law, there wouldn’t have been such bold moves replicated among the sub-regionals.
Last year, particularly in the month of June, President Bola Tinubu who was just a month into the long-sought office signed a proposed legislation that had gone through the usual parliamentary debate before it became the law. Without that precedence, there won’t be an opportunity in Abia or Lagos to power up.
Since their hands are no longer tied, state governments can now issue licenses to private companies that can operate mini-grids and power plants that tap into the benefits of renewable energy gained from solar rays, gale force winds and the ocean. That is how Lagos and others will be able to end power outages within their domains.
Here is Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu explaining further about the legislation he signed via his Tuesday tweet. He said: To support these goals, the law creates key institutions such as the Lagos State Electricity Regulatory Commission and the Lagos Independent System Operator.
Special funds will be allocated for electrification projects and community development, while also protecting consumer interests and encouraging competition.
With this law, we take a significant step towards eliminating the electricity blackouts that have affected our state for too long.
One reason a state like Abia, famed as the Taiwan of Africa, quickly launched its independent electricity was that it had it in the works long before 2023 when an opportunity for licensees came.
Geometric Power and Aba Power had secured a 20-year concession from the Federal Government of Nigeria to supply power exclusively to the Aba industrial city and its surrounding communities and had also constructed the 141 MW Aba Integrated Power Project (Aba IPP).
But in Lagos, says its governor, this journey began back in 2021 when we launched the Lagos State Electricity Policy in preparation for this moment. We took our time to avoid repeating past mistakes and developed a comprehensive law that addresses our electricity challenges more effectively.
Our aim is to ensure that every resident in Lagos has access to electricity that is reliable and affordable.
