Residents of communities in Ife North Local Government have protested the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company’s (IBEDC) inconsistent electricity delivery.
Ipetumodu, Asipa, Akinlalu, Yakooyo, Moro, and Edunabon youths also protested the exorbitant energy bills issued by the IBEDC to their communities.
They urged Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke and newly elected member of the state House of Assembly Akinyode Abidemi Oyewusi to intervene immediately.
The acting Youth President, Babalola Taiwo, said that the IBDEC had exposed the six villages to extended hours of darkness, adding that the suffering had begun to damage daily lives and businesses.
While warning the IBEDC to find a solution, the demonstrators accused the energy supply firm of ruining their companies and subjecting them to hoodlum attacks, particularly at night.
“We have no idea what we did to IBEDC.” They subjected our neighborhood to epileptic electricity supplies. They do not provide us with light. As a result, “the majority of the artisans, particularly those who cannot afford to buy generators, have left the community,” he claimed.
Kikelomo Owoeye, Senior Communication Officer of IBEDC, Osun Region, responded by urging citizens to remain calm as the firm works diligently to rectify the issue.
Owoeye indicated that the protracted outage was caused by malfunctioning transmission station equipment on March 10, 2023.
She went on to say that while they were looking for the malfunctioning equipment, another breaker blew in the Control Room, delaying the restoration of power.
“On March 10, 2023, there was a fault caused by faulty equipment at Ajebandele Transmission Station, resulting in a prolonged outage.”
“However, all of the faults have been resolved, and we have begun to work toward achieving the minimum of 8 hours of supply, which is the Service Tariff Band D to which they belong,” she said.
She claimed that the corporation had a series of meetings with the youths and traditional rulers in the areas and recommended that all disputed bills be referred to the Business Hub in Ile-Ife for resolution.
