Benin City — Members of the Edo State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) have implored the state government not to pull out of the Ossiomo Power Plant, following the plant’s shutdown and a bitter ownership dispute that has left many subscribers in darkness.
At an emergency Congress held on Thursday, September 11, NUJ members passed a resolution telling the union’s leadership to remain stakeholders with Ossiomo Power, citing the company’s reliable service over the past three years. The journalists emphasized that the plant had provided 24-hour electricity to the NUJ secretariat during that period, making its role vital. The decision came in response to government directives disconnecting public facilities from Ossiomo’s lines, amid uncertainty over the plant’s management.
The power plant, which generates about 95 megawatts, was shut down on September 1 due to a dispute between Nigerian partners and its Chinese joint venture partner, Jiangsu Communication Clean Energy Technology (CCETC). According to reports, CCETC accused its Nigerian counterpart, Ossiomo Power & Infrastructure Company, of failing to comply with terms in their joint venture agreement — particularly around revenue collection and account transparency.
Among key grievances CCETC raised was that customer payments were being made to a different account (Ossiomo E-Technology) instead of the COPC account (CCETC-Ossiomo Power Company), in violation of the joint venture contract. CCETC officials claimed this has led to significant financial losses despite power generation.
Edo State Electrification Agency’s Managing Director, Saturday Omozokpea Egbadon, clarified in a stakeholders meeting that Edo State Government holds no equity interest in Ossiomo Power; the state merely subscribes to the plant’s electricity as one of its many customers. Egbadon further explained that when the plant shutdown occurred, it was not informed ahead by the plant’s management and the blackout affected government offices, major hospitals, the NUJ secretariat, and other critical institutions.
In response to the service disruption, the state government directed that ministries, departments, agencies, and public parastatals connected to Ossiomo Power’s 11KV lines reconnect to the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC). This includes Government House, the State Secretariat, private subscribers, and major hospitals. BEDC’s Acting Chief Technical Officer, Engr. Kingsley Atseyinku, assured that these facilities will be migrated to Band A feeders, with expected service levels of 20-24 hours of power supply daily.
The journalists union, in its communiqué, called on the Edo State Government to “create an enabling environment for more private investors” in the power sector, and also commended ongoing government infrastructure projects in the state such as the Ramat Park Flyover and the reconstruction of Oba Market. The union stressed that full withdrawal from Ossiomo would worsen power instability for critical operations.
The plant had been celebrated for helping reduce Edo’s perennial power deficit since its inauguration, providing electricity to government facilities, hotels, industries, street lighting, and private subscribers across parts of Benin City. Its shutdown has highlighted how dependent certain public services and infrastructures have become on its output.
