Ogun community laments 18-months blackout

FILE: Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun

Residents of Itesiwaju Omu Arogun Area, a community near Mowe in the Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State, have appealed to the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission to intervene in the prolonged power outage affecting the community.

Saturday PUNCH gathered that the area had been without electricity for more than 18 months, forcing some residents to relocate to Lagos, Abeokuta and neighbouring communities in search of better living.

The community comprises Graceland Estate, Graceland Community, Unity Estate Omu Arire, Ifesowapo, Leadway Estate, God’s Favour, the International Community of Jehovah’s Witnesses and 50 other residences.

According to residents who spoke with our correspondent, the prolonged blackout had made life difficult, with several businesses shutting down due to the high cost of alternative sources of power.

It was learnt that the Owode Egba feeder, which supplies electricity to the community, has been operating below the capacity required to adequately serve residents.

Our correspondent leant that the prolonged outage was as a result of inadequate electricity supply from the Transmission Company of Nigeria by officials of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company.

Some of the residents told Saturday PUNCH on Friday that in a response to a recent petition from community leaders, the District Manager, Ashimolowo, Mowe/Ibafo Business Hub, Sanuth Oladipupo, acknowledged the poor electricity supply in the area.

Oladipupo reportedly said the Owode Egba feeder required between 13 and 15 megawatts to adequately serve its customers but currently received only about five to six megawatts from the TCN.

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 had been ignored by IBEDC, as the order had yet to be implemented.

• Works ministry declares Ogun bridge safe
• Ogun traders protest govt eviction order
• Ogun community threatens legal action over four-month blackout

A fashion designer in the area, Kazeem Teniola, said the prolonged blackout had forced him to move his family to Bariga, Lagos, while abandoning the house he built in the community.

He said, “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.”

Teniola said the situation had affected his health and that several other residents had also relocated.

Also, a matron at a hospital in the area, Dennis Obi, appealed to the federal and Ogun 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,” he said.

Obi added that the blackout had also affected healthcare delivery, businesses and children’s education in the community.

The residents called on IBEDC 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 “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 received regular and reliable electricity supply.