The Ossiomo Power Project, once hailed as a flagship achievement of former Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki, has been revealed to be privately owned, with no financial stake held by the state government.
Gatekeepers News reports that the revelation was made on Tuesday during a stakeholders’ meeting of Edo State Electrification Agency at John Odigie-Oyegun Public Service Academy (JOOPSA), Benin City.
Speaking at the event, Hon. Saturday Egbadon, Managing Director of the agency, said the facility was not a state-owned enterprise but a private venture created under the last administration.
He said, “The government of Edo State is simply a customer of Ossiomo Power, as established by the last administration. The current shutdown is the outcome of a commercial dispute between Ossiomo Power and its Chinese partner, CCETC, not an action of the state government.”
Egbadon noted that Ossiomo management did not consult Governor Monday Okpebholo before shutting down its Ologbo operations, a move that left state offices, hospitals, and private businesses without power since September 1, 2025.
To prevent a total blackout, the state government has engaged the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) to supply all facilities and customers previously connected to Ossiomo’s 11KV lines, including the State Secretariat, Government House, and private subscribers.
Egbadon commended BEDC’s cooperation saying, “ We must appreciate the BEDC management for their swift response and for waiving the usual paperwork and bureaucracy to ensure power was restored to critical state facilities.”
Representing BEDC, Acting Chief Technical Officer, Engr. Kingsley Atseyinku, said the company was ready to absorb the stranded consumers. He added that many would be moved to Band A feeders with a guaranteed supply of 20–24 hours daily.
Some subscribers at the meeting expressed relief. Barrister Adesuwa Omonuwa, an Ossiomo customer, said, “I have been with Ossiomo from inception and was satisfied before these problems emerged. Today’s meeting has given us hope, and if all promises are kept, customers will no longer endure days of blackout.”
The Ossiomo plant, a 95MW gas-fired facility, had been celebrated as a bold solution to Edo’s perennial power deficit. It provided electricity to government offices, hotels, industries, the NUJ Secretariat, Government House, and street lighting across parts of Benin.
However, the recent revelations strip the project of its much-touted status as a government-backed legacy initiative, exposing it instead as a private arrangement with limited state leverage.
With subscribers cut off from supply and government facilities scrambling for alternatives, the Ossiomo debacle raises deeper questions about transparency, sustainability, and the integrity of projects marketed as flagship state initiatives.
