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KWMSD SEEKS ELECTRICITY SUPPLY FOR SOCIAL WELFARE HOMES
(2nd left) The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Social Development, Mr. Peter Kayode Ayanwale; (3rd left) Commissioner for Social Development, Hon. Opeyemi Oluwakemi Afolashade; (4th left) Commissioner for Energy, Hon. Abdulazeez Kola Abdulganiy; (center) the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Energy, Hajia Habibat Salman Saidu with the Directors of the two offices during a courtesy visit paid to the Ministry of Energy.
Sequel to the recent visits to welfare homes in the State, the Ministry of Social Development has appealed to the Ministry of Energy to find a lasting solution to lack of power supply at its welfare homes.
The Commissioner for Social Development, Chief (Mrs.) Opeyemi Oluwakemi Afolashade made this appeal yesterday, during a courtesy visit to the Kwara State Ministry of Energy.
Chief Afolashade expressed her displeasure at the current state of electricity blackout that the Area Welfare Office at Sabo-line and Amoyo Rehabilitation Centre have been experiencing for a long time.
“Our coming is on courtesy visit and we still want to use this medium to seek working synergy with your Ministry, particularly, to fashion out an urgent solution to the problem of energy supply facing some of our welfare homes”, Chief Afolashade said.
The Commissioner, who emphasised the inconvenience and other adversities, the lack of power supply is capable of causing on the inmates and the staff at the said homes, implored that a proactive step be taken to address the issue in due time.
“Our Area Welfare Home at Sabo-line has been in blackout for almost a decade, and at the Amoyo Rehabilitation Centre, there is an existing transfer but it has not been powered due to unavailability of stepdown.”
“It is very crucial that your Ministry take a pragmatic step on the matter, as majority of our inmates that we housed at Amoyo are disabled, deaf, dumb and imbecile, as such they need steady access to electricity”, she said.
Responding, the Commissioner for Energy, Engr. Abdulazeez Kola Abdulganiy, appreciated Chief Afolashade for the visit, praising her act of kindness and the service to humanity represented by the Ministry.
Engr. Abdulganiy stated that the request is exceptional and a touching issue, saying that the Ministry of Energy will not hoard its guard on the matter while he assured that the current transformer at Amoyo Rehabilitation Centre would be replaced with a new one.
In her address, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Energy, Alhaja Habibat Salman Saidu, commended the good efforts of the Ministry of Social Development on social services, public sensitisation, marital dispute resolution and humanity stride, which she described as great feats.
She enjoined the Commissioner and the entire staff of the Ministry of Social Development to continue the good work, wishing her a successful tenure of office.
Earlier, the Director, Electrical Engineering, Engr. Anthony Ayodeji Alago, explained that the Ministry of Energy is aware of the situation and some skeletal arrangements are ongoing towards addressing the issue.
“The electricity issue at Sabo-line Area Welfare Home was due to some infraction between the community and the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, which led to disconnection of power for sometime now and on our part we have taken steps to address the issue but it’s still unsettled”, Engr. Alago disclosed.
The entourage of the Commissioner for Social Development were the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Peter Ayanwale; Director, Personnel, Finance and Supply, Mrs. Idowu Folashade; Director, Social Welfare, Mr. K. David James; and Director, Rehabilitation, Mr. Taiwo J. Ikupolati.
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