Edo Leaders of Thought, a respected civil society organisation, has raised concerns over the circulation of an unsigned and poorly drafted statement attributed to Ossiomo Power Company. No credible organisation issues faceless press releases, and this one is no exception.
In the spirit of accountability, the group conducted an independent investigation into the ongoing imbroglio between Ossiomo Power Plant and the Edo State Government. Their findings expose patterns of inflated costs, opaque practices, and troubling inconsistencies that demand urgent clarification.
Key Findings
- Ownership: Ossiomo Power Company Limited is entirely private. Edo State Government has no stake in the company.
- Inherited Arrangement: The present administration of Governor Monday Okpebholo inherited the Ossiomo arrangement from his predecessor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki. While hailed as innovative, the deal was plagued by inflated bills, arbitrary tariffs, and secrecy.
- Lack of Metering: Throughout Obaseki’s tenure, government facilities operated without meters. Bills were based on estimated consumption, with millions paid monthly without proof of usage. Meters were only installed hurriedly in September 2024, just after his party lost the elections.
- Massive Expenditure: Between January and November 2024, the Obaseki administration paid Ossiomo over ₦5 billion. Monthly bills ranged between ₦308 million and ₦718 million—particularly spiking after his electoral defeat.
- Unstable Tariffs: Ossiomo charged between ₦99.97/kWh and ₦236.78/kWh without consistency, compared to BEDC’s regulated and predictable tariffs of ₦68–₦225/kWh.
Reforms Under Governor Okpebholo
- Installing prepaid meters across government establishments.
- Reducing government electricity spending by over 75%.
- Introducing transparency and verifiable consumption records.
Governor Okpebholo’s administration has moved to correct these lapses by:
From December 2024 to August 2025, the State spent only ₦1.55 billion on electricity—₦1.2 billion to Ossiomo and ₦345 million to BEDC. This is a dramatic drop from the ₦5 billion outflow within just 11 months under Obaseki.
The Unanswered Questions
These revelations raise critical questions:
- Why did the Obaseki administration refuse to meter government facilities for years?
- Why was Edo tied to a system where billions were paid without accountability?
- What interest did Obaseki have in a private company that justified such extraordinary patronage?
- Why were government bills 75% higher under Obaseki compared to the same service now?
Call for Accountability
As a civic body, Edo Leaders of Thought insists that Edo people deserve the truth. Transparency is not optional—it is the foundation of democracy and good governance. The unsigned release now in circulation only reflects the evasiveness that characterised Ossiomo’s operations under the previous administration.
Edo citizens must not be distracted. What the State needs is clear: full disclosure, prudent use of resources, and the protection of public interest over private profiteering.
