Lagos State Begins Production Of Transformers For Power Distribution.

Lagos State government yesterday disclosed that it had begun the production of electric transformers at a factory sited at Iberekpo in the Badagry area of the state.

The state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele, his counterpart in Rural Development, Prince Lanre Balogun and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Commerce and Industry, Mrs. Sola Oworo told journalist in Alausa, that the new transformers were made of proper coil as against those made with aluminium.

Conducting reporters round the transformers in Alausa, Balogun said Elsewedy Nigeria Ltd, the organisation responsible for the products, had been able to turn out 15 transformers between December 2008 and October 2009, adding that it was purely a direct influx of foreign investment with only five percent of total equity contributed by the state government.

He said the transformers are not oil based, but dry-cell, adding that they were made with copper wire unlike the imported ones which are mainly produced with aluminum cables and less durable.

He added that the state government has visited the site and can vouch 100 percent for the quality of the material deployed while assembling the products.

The commissioner noted that the transformers would be distributed free of charge to communities that are need who will now inform officials of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria to install for them, stressing that there are plans to mass produce transformers in time for the whole of Nigeria and export them to the international community.

In her comments, Oworo said only 10 per cent of the workers are foreigners, while the remaining are Nigerians.

She added that in time, the firm would produce metres as part of effort to tackle the power needs of