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• Osun residents protest persistent power outages
From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
Edo State House of Assembly has summoned the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) to appear before it on March 9 over the lingering blackout and billing concerns in the state.
The decision was reached during yesterday’s plenary session after the Speaker, Chief Blessing Agbebaku, raised the matter of power supply challenges and over-billing of the electricity consumers.
Agbebaku said the summon became necessary amid public outcry and protests, including the recent ‘BEDC must go’ demonstration, where Governor Monday Okpebholo joined youths to protest.
The lawmakers, who took turns to outline the challenges of erratic power supply in the state, emphasised the need for the BEDC to improve power distribution.
They cited complaints from their respective constituents on reduced megawatts and frequent outages.
The sitting was subsequently adjourned to Monday, March 9, for the BEDC to appear.
Meanwhile, angry residents of several Osogbo communities have marched to the regional office of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) to protest what they described as persistent epileptic power supply, which is crippling businesses and daily life in the Osun State capital.
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Protesters from Owo Eba, Ilesa Garage, Tara, Oke Baale axis, OSBC area, Uniosun axis, Akede, Air Force Base, Army Depot, Boredun, Coker, Odu and Omu, yesterday, gathered at Oke Baale Roundabout before marching nearly three kilometres to the IBEDC office on Station Road. They carried placards with inscriptions such as, “We can’t be paying for darkness,” “Our businesses are dying,” and “Bring back our light.”
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Mr. Badmus Akeem said the situation deteriorated after their areas were downgraded from Band A to C under the band classification system. He alleged that since the reclassification, residents now receive as little as four hours of electricity in a day, far below the minimum 12 hours expected for Band A communities.
“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 also raised suspicions, which he said residents could not independently verify, that supply earmarked for their communities was being diverted and sold elsewhere.
The protesters gave IBEDC seven days to restore their communities to Band A, warning of lawful collective action if their demands were not met.
IBEDC’s regional manager, Mr. Ifeanyi Ikeji, said the company would not rule out returning the areas to Band A, but urged caution, saying a decision must factor in generation shortfalls that limit supply to end users.
He also pointed to a high number of unmetered customers as an obstacle to Band A reinstatement and urged residents to procure metres to meet the 90 percent metering requirement for Band A classification.
The standoff highlights mounting frustration among consumers over unreliable power and raises renewed calls for improved generation, accurate metering and greater transparency from distribution companies.
