Lagos to get 24-hour power supply as Ambode signs 7 bills into law

- Among seven bills signed into law by Akinwunmi Ambode is one to ensure steady power supply to residents of Lagos - Adeniji Kazeem says the law are parts of the vision of Governor Ambode to make Lagos a better place - The state government also believes that the laws would help to boost economic activities Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos has signed seven bills into law among which is the one to guarantee 24-hour power supply in line with the vision of his administration to boost the economy and make the state globally competitive. The bills include the "Lagos state electric power reform law, amended land use charge law, school of nursing law, cooperative college law, cancer research institute law, amended customary court law and the Yoruba language preservation and promotion law," a statement by the Habib Aruna, the governor's media aide, said. The attorney-general and justice commissioner, Adeniji Kazeem, who spoke on the importance of the laws, said the development was a great day for the state as it signpost the commencement of the journey to further advance the dividends of democracy to the people. “This is a great day; the governor has just signed these bills into law and this shows that the House of Assembly is working in tandem with the executive. ' "It also shows that Lagos is working. These laws are going to benefit the people of Lagos State and this is what the people are looking for in terms of the dividends of democracy," Kazeem said. Olawale Oluwo, the energy and mineral resources minister, said the power sector reform law would allow the state government to intervene in major areas of the power value chain to the overall benefit of the people. “One, the law puts the government in a position to be able to extend our guarantee to private sector participants who will come and generate power for us and by this guarantee, we are putting the balance sheet of our State on the table and assuring investors that as they generate power, they will get paid. “Second, is to help the distribution companies to upgrade their infrastructure because if they generate the power and their infrastructure is still where it is today, clearly they will not have the capacity to carry the incremental power. "The third area of intervention is that it empowers us to be able to open up the gas market in Lagos so that we can have gas on a consistent basis and that is how we can attain the 24-hour power supply," he said. Oluwo said the law would also enable the state government to collaborate with the distribution companies to collect tariff from customers efficiently in a way that the said guarantee would not crystallize, while in the area of enforcement, the law will prevent power theft. “What has happened today is that the first power theft law in Nigeria has been signed today by Governor Ambode and this is the first time any government in Nigeria will institutionalise the power theft law. “It criminalizes power infraction. What we have seen before is that people tamper with and bypass meters and at the end of the day they are arrested and nothing happens but the new law provides for jail terms as well as fines and all sorts of forbearance such that if you tamper with electrical installations, if you import fake electrical materials into this state, you are liable to be prosecuted,” Oluwo explained.