Edo Leaders of Thought, a prominent civil society organisation, has expressed grave concerns over a circulating unsigned document purportedly from Ossiomo Power Company. It describes the document as faceless and poorly conceived and notes that no credible organisation issues unsigned press releases.
The group noted that they were compelled to embark on an Independent investigation in the spirit of transparency to unravel the facts in the imbroglio between Ossiomo Power Plant and the Edo State Government.
The group’s coordinator, Momodu Adams, disclosed in a press statement made available to LEADERSHIP that their finding revealed alleged inflated costs and questionable practices that demand answers.
Against perception in certain quarters, the group clarified that the Edo State Government has zero stake in Ossiomo Power Company Limited and that the company is 100% privately owned.
“The challenges facing Ossiomo are purely internal and have also affected government and private subscribers alike, with the Edo State Government often being a victim of these disruptions.
Momodu, who hailed the immediate past administration of former Governor Godwin Obaseki for the innovation of creating the environment for the private sector to establish power plants in Edo, however, noted that “it was riddled with inflated bills, fluctuating tariffs, and deliberate opacity.
He said, “For the entirety of Mr Obaseki’s tenure, Edo State Government facilities were never metered. Instead, they operated on post-paid estimated billing, under which millions of naira were paid monthly without verifiable evidence of actual consumption.
“Meters were only hurriedly installed in September 2024, immediately after his party’s electoral defeat and barely two months before he left office.
“Between January and November 2024 alone, over ₦5 billion was paid to Ossiomo by the Obaseki administration for government establishments. Monthly charges ranged from ₦308 million to as high as ₦718 million.
“The highest bills, ₦673 million in September, ₦718 million in October, and ₦474 million in November, were incurred immediately after Obaseki’s party’s electoral defeat and just before his exit.
“The tariffs were not only exorbitant but unstable. Records show that Ossiomo charged wildly fluctuating rates between ₦99.97/kWh and ₦236.78/kWh, with no consistency from month to month.
“By contrast, BEDC, a regulated distribution company, maintained predictable tariffs: ₦68/kWh until April 2024, later adjusted to ₦225/kWh.
“In contrast, Governor Okpebholo introduced reforms that changed the narrative. He ordered the installation of prepaid meters across government establishments, ending the opaque billing system.
“Today, government facilities pay Ossiomo an average of ₦199 million for every 45-day cycle, a drastic reduction from as high as ₦700 million monthly outflows under Obaseki.
It continued, “With prepaid metering now in place, consumption is verifiable, billing is transparent, and payments are reduced by over 75 per cent.
“Between January and November 2024 alone, the Obaseki administration paid Ossiomo over ₦5 billion. In contrast, within the first nine months of Governor Okpebholo’s tenure (December 2024 to August 2025), the State has spent only ₦1.55 billion on electricity providers; ₦1.2 billion to Ossiomo and ₦345 million to BEDC.
“This disparity raises troubling questions. Why did the Obaseki administration deliberately refuse to meter government establishments for years? Why was Edo State locked into a billing regime where billions were paid without accountability?
“ What was Obaseki’s genuine interest in Ossiomo, a private company, that justified such extraordinary state patronage? And why was the entire electricity supply of the State surrendered to one company in a manner that suppressed competition and transparency?
“Our independent investigation has also brought to light another poser: if, as Mr Obaseki consistently claimed, his administration invested heavily in Ossiomo and offered the company an open hand of fellowship, why then were his government’s electricity bills 75% higher than what Governor Okpebholo now pays to the same company for the same service? This inconsistency suggests the existence of shadowy deals that the public has yet to be told.
“As a civic organisation committed to accountability, we must insist that these issues be brought to light. The Edo people deserve full disclosure. Transparency is not optional. It is the cornerstone of democracy and good governance”
When contacted, the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Monday Okpebholo, Fred Itua, confirmed the claims made by the Civil Society Organisation. He said the findings are in tandem with the actual state of affairs”.
