Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, on Saturday, donated a 500kVA transformer to residents of Palmgroove Estate in Odi-Olowo Ojuwoye Local Council Development Area of the State, as part of the ongoing ‘Light Up Lagos’ initiative, the government said in a statement.

The Governor also donated transformers to two communities in Alapere and Ijegun respectively to boost electricity supply in their localities, spokesman Habib Aruna said,

He said Governor Ambode, who was represented at the handing over ceremony by the Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr. Wale Oluwo, had read about the plight of the residents via a newspaper publication in which they appealed to the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) to come to their aid to replace their aging transformers.

The transformer at Palmgroove Estate, according to the residents, was installed in 1958 and had become problematic in the last ten years, causing it to develop fault on a weekly basis.

Oluwo, in his remarks, said Governor Ambode was of the view that if the electricity distribution companies were not making the right investment, the people would wallow in darkness, hence, his administration is poised to alleviate the suffering of Lagosians.

He recalled the setting up of a committee under the Governor’s office which included the electricity generation companies, distribution companies, gas suppliers and the Transmission Company of Nigeria, saying that the intention of the committee was to intervene as far as possible so as to ensure that the people have access to electricity.

He said: “This is part of the Light Up Lagos Project. I want the people of Lagos to understand that the Project is not all about street lights alone. Infact, street light is a small component of the Project. The intention of Light Up Lagos is to continue to intervene both in distribution area, the gas and so on in a way to facilitate the overall equation of delivering power to our people and that is what this is all about.

“It will be interesting to note that the Governor read about the plight of the residents yesterday (Friday) in the papers and we are dropping the transformer today here and in two other locations. After here, we are going to Alapere to drop another one and then Ijegun to drop the third one today,” Oluwo said.