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Residents of Mogede community in Ibafo, Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, have accused the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company of diverting electricity meant for their community to nearby companies, leaving them in darkness for months.
The residents also decried what they called an “astronomical increase in billing” despite the prolonged blackout.
According to them, the situation has crippled businesses and made life unbearable for many households.
In a protest letter signed by the chairperson of the community, Bisiriyu Serifat, the residents condemned the persistent blackout and the alleged diversion of electricity meant for them to private companies.
They described the situation as unfair and exploitative, calling for urgent intervention from the state government and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission.
A copy of the letter obtained by Saturday PUNCH reads, “For many months now, we have been having epileptic electricity supply in our community despite the astronomical increase in billing, which must be paid as and when due by customers, otherwise disconnection follows.
“Information reaching us states that electricity meant for our C.D.A is often traded illegally to surrounding companies, while we are persistently left in darkness.”
The residents demanded an urgent intervention by the Ogun State Government and the NERC to investigate their allegations against IBEDC.
Speaking on behalf of the community, a resident, Quadri Adelagun, expressed frustration over IBEDC’s alleged prioritisation of power supply to private companies while neglecting residential consumers.
“For several months now, we have been living in darkness, yet IBEDC keeps bringing us bills as if we are enjoying 24-hour power supply. How can we be paying for electricity we are not using?” he lamented.
Adelagun further alleged that the power distribution company had refused to address their complaints despite several meetings.
“We are not getting value for our money. We have met with IBEDC officials several times, but they have refused to take any action. They continue to take us for granted, as if we are nobody.
“We strongly suspect that IBEDC is illegally trading the electricity meant for our community to other companies in the area. Whenever we get light, it is only for a few hours, but these companies enjoy steady power supply,” he added.
But IBEDC denied diverting electricity meant for the community, saying “electricity supplied to local companies is through private, dedicated sources that are not part of IBEDC’s grid.”
Speaking to our correspondent, a Senior Communication Officer of IBEDC in the state, Ayodeji Bada, noted that Mogede community fell under Band E customers, meaning that its electricity billing was based on NERC’s approved methodology.
He attributed the irregular power supply to the community to rotational energy management system due to inadequate energy supply.
“Mogede community is part of our customer base in the Ibafo area. The electricity supply to this region, which serves Magboro, Ibafo 1, and Ibafo 2, is sourced from the Oke-Aro Transmission Station.
“The total load demand for these communities is 45MW, yet the allocation from the transmission station is currently limited to 12MW. This results in a rotational energy management system, where the three service centers receive supply on a daily rotational basis,” he said.
