Osun residents protest power outage, give IBEDC seven-day ultimatum
By Deborah Oladejo, Osogbo –
Residents of Osogbo, the Osun State capital, on Wednesday stormed the Station Road office of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) in protest against what they described as persistent epileptic power supply.
The protesters, drawn from Owo-Eba, Garage Ilesa, Tara, Oke-Baale axis, OSBC area, UNIOSUN axis, Air Force Base, Army Depot, Boredun, Coker, Odu, Omu and other affected areas, accused the company of subjecting them to grossly inadequate electricity since their reclassification from Band A to Band C.
Carrying placards with various inscriptions, the residents expressed dissatisfaction over what they termed unfair treatment under the current tariff band arrangement.
In a communiqué issued after a meeting of the communities and made available to journalists, the residents stated that they now receive an average of four hours of electricity daily, far below the minimum of 12 to 16 hours stipulated for Band C customers under the Electricity Distribution Service Reflective Tariff framework.
They said there are days when entire communities are left without power, adding that the situation has plunged residents into hardship, pushed small-scale businesses to the brink of collapse and disrupted corporate activities.
The communities also raised concerns over allegations that electricity meant for them was being diverted and sold elsewhere, although they admitted they could not independently verify the claims.
They demanded immediate restoration to Band A classification within seven days and urged IBEDC to address the supply shortfall in line with the stipulated minimum hours for each tariff band, warning that failure to comply would lead to lawful and collective actions.
Responding, IBEDC’s Regional Manager, Mr Ifeanyi Ikeji, said the company is willing to return the communities to Band A but would first address the inadequacy in power generation, which he said has hindered the Disco from meeting its responsibilities to customers.
