A chieftain of the National Democratic Coalition, NADECO, Chief Ayo Opadokun, has decried epileptic power supply experienced in the country, saying it was hurting businesses and artisans.
Opadokun, who is the patron of Association of Lagos State Artisans and Technicians, said epileptic power supply has made small and large businesses suffer and artisans less productive, leading to loss of income.
Addressing newsmen at the unveiling of beam light solar power generator in Lagos, he said renewable energy, particularly solar, could be a solution to the country’s energy crisis. Expressing worry over the plight of artisans and technicians, he said their work tools had become idle because they lacked electricity to power them.
His words: “They have to put in more than the ordinary to be able to power their tools. Today, because of the negative impact of fossil fuel on the ozone layer, the global community is already doing a lot to see how they can provide alternative energy. Today, China contributes over 65 per cent of the total alternative energy in the world. Every other country is behind China.”
On the partnership with Chinese Solar manufacturer to change the situation, Opadokun added: “In furtherance of my human rights defense, I got connected with a great manufacturing company of solar energy power in China, and they have proposed to me what they could do. In fact, they are capable of providing alternative solar electricity to cover homes, schools, hospitals, and industries of various dimensions. What we are about to do today is unveil the samples we have brought.
READ ALSO: CBN rolls out indices on growth and stability, targets $1trn economy by 2030
READ ALSO:Police declare manhunt for human trafficker, rescue 35 victims in Delta
READ ALSO:Police arrest murder suspects, recover N16m cash in Oyo
“This is why the people who are my people, technicians, tailors, barbers, photographers, caterers, and so many others, are really important. Fuel is on the high side, diesel is even higher, and they have to buy generators. Sometimes, the maintenance of those generators is huge, so many times they cannot work. You give a job to tailors, and you get angry that they cannot deliver because they have no power. So that is the essence of it—to solve those problems. That’s why we are unveiling beamlight solar Power generator today for what we call the informal sector to avail the opportunities of making a choice. We have many different capacities. Two different capacities have been brought today: 5,000KVA and 2,000KVA. They can power many things. Now we have even come so that people can pay some money depending on the capacity of the solar power electricity generator that they want. They pay a certain amount, and then they can pay the balance over time. Within nine months, they can complete the payment.
“The advantage of this solar generator is that the lithium battery it comes with has an 8-10 year lifespan before it needs to be replaced. That is to say, they would not have to worry for the next ten years about anything. Some of these solar generators can be used in the office and in their homes. They are portable and can be carried easily. “What makes this solar energy different from the ones in existence is that none of them has our capacity or the kind of lithium battery that we have. We can power everything that people need, both in hospitals and colleges. We provide a hybrid solution.”