The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said that the decision to create the Ministry of Energy and Electricity from the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources is to enable the new ministry execute the Electrify Edo project.
He added, “Electricity has been privatised and we need to domesticate it in the state.”
The governor explained that the state government will place emphasis on completing ongoing projects, stressing, “We want to close all the projects we started.”
The new ministry is headed by Hon. Akin Agbaje, one of the new commissioners appointed by the governor.
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The state is home to the Edo-Azura Power plant, which feeds the national grid as well as the CCTEC Ossiomo Power Plant, which is expected to provide embedded power supply to government buildings, hospitals, streets on the Sapele Road axis of Benin City, among others.
It is expected that with the coming on stream of the Ossiomo power plant, there would be need to regulate the local electricity market, which the ministry would be charged to execute.
Recall that the governor swore in the recently appointed commissioners after being cleared by the State House of Assembly, and assigned portfolios to them. The names and portfolios of the new commissioners are: Marie Edeko, Ministry of Social Development; Damian Lawani, Ministry of Youth; Joe Ikpea, Ministry of Minerals, Oil and Gas; and Momoh Oise Omorogbe, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.
Others are Felix Akhabue, Ministry of Cooperatives and Wealth Creation; Moses Agbakor, Ministry of Energy.
In the minor cabinet reshuffle, the former Commissioner for Agricultural and Natural Resources, Hon. Monday Osaigbovo, was moved to the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs, while the former Commissioner for Education, Hon. Emmanuel Agbale now heads the Ministry of Science and Technology.
Erstwhile Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs, Hon. Jimoh Ijegbai, now heads the Ministry of Education.