Residents of Magboro, a border town between Lagos and Ogun State in Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria, are up in arms with the power distribution company in the area, Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC).
The residents are accusing IBEDC of treating them unfairly.
According to the residents, although it is the responsibility of the Federal Government to connect the community with electricity, the failure of the government compelled them to mobilise resources to purchase all the electrical equipment for IBEDC to connect the community to electricity supply.
Unfortunately, after making these investments with the hope of getting regular supply of electricity, the residents said IBEDC is rather selling power to industries who were not part of the communal effort and denying them regular power supply.
The residents said IBEDC gives them light for two days in a week and gives industries in the area three days of electricity.
“Our grievance is that they are selling the light to industries that were not part of the communal effort and denying residents light.
“It used to be two days on (which was barely up to 10 hours a day) and one day off. Now, it has gone to one day on and three days off…so much audacity but the bill never reduces,” Mrs. Seyi Davies, spokesperson for the Residents’ Association in Magboro said in an interview with energynewsafrica.com after a protest march against IBEDC.
According to her, residents of the area would not want to see IBEDC continue operation in the area if they refuse to treat them fairly.
Responding to the concerns of the angry residents, Busolami Tunwase, who is the Lead Media Relations Officer of IBEDC, noted that her outfit is currently implementing a four-shift rotational load shedding formula in which some communities are given power in the morning while others have it at night.
This arrangement, she explained was as a result of exponential growth in population in the communities which have increased power demand in the area to about 35 megawatts as against the current 13 megawatts power transmitted to the area.
According to her, her outfit has requested TCN to divert excess load on another feeder to Ibafo’s 33kV but said the request was yet to be granted.
“IBEDC has commenced radiating another feeder from the recently commissioned Kobape Transmission Station in Abeokuta to Mowe/Ibafo to relieve the load demand of the area and that is expected to take effect later in the year.”
She assured that IBEDC and TCN are working to resolve the current situation in order to improve power supply to the affected communities.
Source: www.energynewsafrica.com
