Benin, Edo – In a move that reeks of political expediency and utter disregard for the welfare of its citizens, the Edo State Government has shamefully reconnected to the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) for power supply, a full five years after it grandly severed ties with the discredited utility to champion the construction of the Ossiomo Power project.

This so-called "reconnection" is nothing short of a betrayal, exposing the government's hollow promises and its willingness to crawl back to the very monopoly it once decried as incompetent and exploitative.

Let's rewind to 2020, when the Godwin Obaseki-led government, in a rare flash of apparent foresight, broke BEDC's iron grip on electricity distribution in the state. BEDC, notorious for its erratic supply, crippling tariffs, and chronic blackouts that left households and businesses in perpetual darkness, was finally challenged.

The state threw its weight behind the Ossiomo Power plant—a 450MW independent power project touted as a game-changer for reliable, affordable energy.

Obaseki's team hailed it as a bold step toward energy independence, vowing to end the reign of terror by distribution companies like BEDC.

Fast-forward to today, and what do we have? The same government, now under the stewardship of its successor, has slunk back to BEDC's fold, reconnecting key infrastructure to the company's grid as if the past half-decade of rhetoric was just empty hot air.

This decision is not just inconsistent; it's a slap in the face to every Edo resident who has suffered under BEDC's thumb.

Remember the outages? The inflated bills for non-existent power? The endless complaints to a deaf regulatory body? Ossiomo was supposed to be the antidote—a state-backed initiative promising stable supply from a facility that's been operational since 2021, feeding power to government institutions and select areas.

Yet, instead of doubling down on self-sufficiency, the administration has chosen to prop up BEDC, effectively undermining its own flagship project. Is this progress, or is it a cowardly capitulation to behind-the-scenes deals that prioritize cronies over citizens?

Critics—and rightly so—are howling with outrage. The reconnection signals a dangerous regression, potentially inflating costs for consumers as the state funnels resources back into a system riddled with inefficiencies.

Why invest millions in Ossiomo only to hobble it by reconnecting to BEDC's unreliable network?

Sources close to the matter whisper of mounting debts, technical glitches at Ossiomo, and perhaps even political maneuvering ahead of future elections. But excuses won't cut it.

This is gross mismanagement at its finest: a government that builds with one hand and dismantles with the other, all while the average Edo family continues to grope in the dark, their hard-earned money siphoned into a vortex of poor service.

Governor Monday Okpebholo and his team owe the people a transparent explanation, not this opaque about-face.

If Ossiomo was the "future" five years ago, what changed? Was it all a publicity stunt to score points during Obaseki's re-election bid?

The people of Edo deserve better than this flip-flopping farce. They deserve accountability, not a reconnection to the past's failures.

Until the government comes clean and recommits to true energy autonomy, this episode will stand as a damning indictment of its incompetence and untrustworthiness.