Oyo flags off training on renewable energy

GOVERNMENT of Oyo State has commenced training of over 200 persons across the state on generation of renewable energy in order to improve power generation and supply off national grid in the state.

The Special Assistant on Energy and Natural Resources to Oyo State Governor, Comrade Saka Moshood Olawale, who made this known in his welcome address at the official flag off of the training program in Iseyin on Monday, also expressed Governor Makinde’s determination and commitment towards improving power generation and supplies across the state

It was gathered that the state governor, Mr Seyi Makinde, during one of his visits to the four main dumpsites in the state, assured residents of his administration’s resolve to fully explore off national grid power generation and supply in order to meet the increasing population and power consumption demands in the state, noting that Oyo State could no longer depend solely on what he described as the ‘inadequate power supplies’ from the national grid.

The governor’s aide, while addressing training participants in the ongoing renewable energy training program flagged off in Iseyin Local Government Area of Oke-ogun Zone maintained that the training was specially designed to meet a special need and put an end to inadequate power supply that threatens the survival of businesses, residential power consumption, and other corporate establishments’ power usage in the state.

Comrade Saka, noted that one of the greatest obstacles militating against technical breakthrough in Nigeria is the issue of power generation for industrial and economic growth in Oyo State and by extension, Nigeria, is power supply, stressing that Nigeria is a great country with boundless potentials both in human and natural resource endowments.

“You will all agree with me that today in Nigeria, one of the major obstacles militating against technological breakthrough is the issue of power generation for industrial and economic growth. Nigeria is a great country with boundless potentials in both human and natural resources capable of leading other nations across the globe.

“However, an unstable and poor power generation required for technological breakthrough remains a hydra-headed monster threatening our collective efforts especially, of the present government, to take Nigeria to its rightful place among industrialised countries.

“During this practical based training program, our core mandate is to adequately equip participants which were selected on the basis of three persons per local government and local council development areas (LCDAs) with all requisite skills and knowledge on exploration of renewable power generation via solar energy and conversion of waste to energy.

“This initiative, we believe, will bridge the gap between technology and the end users. It will also provide training programs for entrepreneurs which is above other things targeted at self development and Self Help Groups (SHGs), while working closely with other critical stakeholders in the industry to ensure participants have easy access to soft loans while others get immediate employments via our training consultants,” Comrade Saka stated.

In his remarks the training program consultant,  Samsondeen Alabi Newton, commended Governor Seyi Makinde led administration and explained that Oyo State Government has shown the capacity and commitments needed to fully key into the emerging global market on alternative sources of power generation.

Newton maintained that at the end of the training program, participants will be adequately trained and equipped to the level of creating solar power source for domestic consumption across the state.