Angry residents on Wednesday, disrupted business activities at the regional office of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) in Osogbo protesting against what they described as persistent epileptic power supply in the Osun State capital.
The aggrieved residents, drawn from communities including Owo-Eba, Ilesa-Garage, Tara, Oke-Baale axis, OSBC Area, UNIOSUN axis, Akede, Air Force Base, Army Depot, Boredun, Coker, Odu and Omu, converged at Oke-Baale roundabout before marching nearly three kilometres to IBEDC’s regional office on Station Road.
They were armed with placards with different inscriptions such as “We can’t be paying for darkness,” “Our businesses are dying,” and “Bring back our light,” the protesters demanded immediate improvement in electricity supply.
Addressing IBEDC officials on behalf of the protesters, Mr. Badmus Akeem said the crisis worsened after the affected communities were downgraded from Band A to Band C.
He alleged that since the reclassification, residents had struggled to receive up to four hours of electricity daily, contrary to the minimum 12 hours stipulated under the band classification system.
“The impact of this epileptic power supply has been devastating. Residents are experiencing severe hardship, small-scale businesses are on the verge of collapse, and corporate institutions are significantly affected,” Akeem said.
He continued, “we express deep concern on circulating reports alleging that electricity meant for these communities is being diverted and sold to the highest bidder.
While we cannot independently verify these claims, the persistent and unexplained deprivation of supply has fueled widespread suspicion and dissatisfaction among residents.”
The protesters demanded that all communities under their umbrella be restored to Band A within seven days, warning that failure to meet the demand within the ultimatum period could lead to lawful collective actions.
Responding, the IBED’s Regional Manager, Mr Ifeanyi Ikeji said the company is ready to return the communities to Band A but will not want to rush to the decision without rectifying the inadequacy with power generation which hindered the DISCO from meeting it responsibility to end users.
“We are ready to return you to Band A, but another major obstacle is the issue of unmetered customers. Go back and tell your people to procure one so that the areas can meet up with 90 percent meter requirements for Band A costumers”, he added.
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