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Residents of Itesiwaju Omu Arogun Area Community Development Committee (IOAACDC), a community near Mowe in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, have appealed to the Minister of Power, Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe and the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to intervene in the prolonged power outage affecting the community.
The residents said the area has been without electricity for more than 18 months, forcing some residents to relocate to Lagos, Abeokuta and neighbouring communities in search of better living and working conditions.
According to residents who spoke with our correspondent, the prolonged blackout has made life difficult, with several businesses shutting down because of the high cost of alternative sources of power.
The Owode Egba feeder, which supplies electricity to the community, has reportedly been operating below the capacity required to adequately serve residents.
Residents said officials of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) had attributed the poor supply to inadequate electricity from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN). From all indications, TCN has performed below expectation at the quantum of supply to such a community where lots of revenue is expected to be generated for the DisCos by virtue of the customers who are placed on Band A and B.
In a response to the recent petition from the community leaders, Sanuth Haroun Oladipupo, District Manager, Ashimolowo, Mowe/Ibafo Business Hub, acknowledged the poor electricity supply in the area.
Oladipupo said the Owode Egba feeder requires between 13 and 15 megawatts to adequately serve its customers but currently receives only about five to six megawatts from TCN.
“We acknowledged the receipt of your letter regarding poor supply situation in your area of coverage.
“The situation is worrisome and we are trying our best to ensure it improves. The supply from TCN to service Owode Egba feeder is extremely poor to the extent that 13-15 megawatts required is always reduced to 5-6 megawatts which cannot meet our demand to serve our customers.
“We implore you to continue to endure with us as we shall continue to strive to deliver quality services,” he said.
Oladipupo also said his office and technical team would work to improve electricity supply to the community.
The residents said they had previously petitioned NERC in Abeokuta about three years ago over the electricity crisis, adding that the regulator directed IBEDC to address the problem and provide a step-down substation for the community.
They, however, alleged that the directive was ignored by IBDEC because the order had not been implemented till date.
Kazeem Teniola, a fashion designer in the area, said the prolonged blackout forced him to move his family to Bariga, Lagos, while abandoning the house he built in the community.
“I made up my mind to relocate to Lagos because of the epileptic power supply in Itesiwaju Area. Sometimes I want to believe it is a sabotage. We were placed on Band B, yet we are perpetual darkness. Is IBEDC not losing expected revenue from here? Are their management aware of this? No light to work. Patients are dying in the hospital. Businesses are closing down,” he said.
Teniola said the situation had affected his health and that several other residents had also relocated.
Dennis Obi, a matron at a hospital in the area, appealed to the federal and state governments to intervene.
“I am afraid, there is fire on the mountain. We are begging the Minister of Power to help us in Itesiwaju. We are begging Governor Dapo Abiodun to call IBEDC to order over favouritism in power supply in our area,” she said.
Obi said the blackout had also affected healthcare delivery, businesses and children’s education in the community.
The residents are calling on IBEDC’s management to provide a step-down substation in the area and improve electricity supply.
They also urged NERC to enforce its directives to the distribution company and investigate complaints about the conduct of some IBEDC officials in the area which some customers described as being “lackadaisical.”
The residents further alleged that some managers and marketers in the zone had been withholding prepaid meters and making them available to customers at their discretion.
They called for an investigation into the allegations and urged the authorities to ensure that residents receive regular and reliable electricity supply.
Itesiwaju Omu Arogun ACDC consists of Graceland Estate, Graceland Community, Unity Estate Omu Arire, Ifesowapo, Leadway Estate, God’s Favour, the International community of Jehovah’s Witnesses and over 50 other communities.
