Business
LASG Pledges More Collaboration With Power Investors
The Lagos State Gov
ernment last Thursday said it would strengthen collaboration with power investors in the state to improve electricity supply.
Gov. Babatunde Fashola made the pledge during a media briefing with reporters at the just concluded seventh Lagos Economic Summit tagged “Ehingbeti’’.
He said that the government would strengthen collaboration in the areas of provision and security of power assets, power audit and other ways to ensure adequate delivery of electricity.
“Lagos State is an important consumer of electricity. We need power for industries, for agriculture, transportation and other important sectors of the state’s economy.
“We therefore seek stronger partnerships with the new owners of distribution companies and other power assets.
“We want to strengthen partnerships in data sharing with them through our power audits and feedback from our residents’ registration exercise.
“We will partner with friendly regulations at the state level and protect power assets through our security formations.
“We will help with permits for power installations, gas pipelines and other ways that will ensure electricity delivery in the state,’’ he said.
Fashola said improving electricity supply in the state was a collective responsibility that also required residents to play their part.
He urged residents to make conservation of electricity a culture to ensure efficient use of supplied megawatts.
The governor also appealed to residents to always pay their electricity bills as not doing so could jeopardise development of the power sector.
He warned against vandalism of power assets and illegal connection of electricity, which he said, could undermine power supply.
Fashola urged residents not to use substandard cables for their connection to guard against accidents and damage to power assets.
He said the privatisation of the power sector would address electricity deficiency in the country if stakeholders played their part well.
Meanwhile, the state government has been urged to constantly engage the Federal Government on the need to liberalise the gas market.
The advice was one of the resolutions of the summit, which said a liberalised gas market would ensure easy access of operators of power plants to gas for improved power supply.
The state government was urged to continue to provide infrastructure to DISCOs for efficient power delivery.