Many residents and entrepreneurs in Ibadan have lamented poor power supply from the Ibadan Distribution Company [IBEDC].
The residents, drawn from different parts of the city, said power supply had been terrible in the last few days.
From Lagelu local government, Ibadan North and others, the story is the same.
Mr. John Adedapo, who lives in Ibadan North Local Government Area of the state, decried the power situation. Adedapo is determined to abandon supplies from the DISCO and search for an alternative supply.
A senior officer in the Oyo State government who stays at Kolapo Isola Estate in Lagelu Local Government Area, also lamented the poor power supply. ‘’In my area at Kolapo Isola Estate, it is terrible’’, he said.
Wale Owoade, who stays at the Monatan area of Ibadan, berated the distribution company, saying the supply has been sub-optimal. He explained that he had spent over two years in his house but he had not used up to N10,000 electricity bill.
Owoade said: ‘’I have spent over two years in the house but I have not used up to N10,000 electricity bill’’.
Also speaking, the founder of Ibadan Entrepreneur Network, Dr Oyenike Adeleke, toed the same line. Adeleke added that most of her home appliances had been damaged due to poor and low power supply.
She said: ‘’The power supply is terrible. It is too erratic. When it is restored, it will have low voltage. It has damaged many of my devices and bulks’’.
Reacting, IBEDC said it was committed to improving power supply in Ibadan.
The statement signed by the management of the power distribution company, which was made available to The Guardian, read:”The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) acknowledges the concerns of residents in Monatan, Kolapo Isola, Bodija, and other areas in Ibadan regarding poor power supply. We sincerely regret the inconvenience this has caused our esteemed customers.
“IBEDC remains committed to providing reliable and improved electricity services. The current power challenges are due to a combination of factors, including load allocation constraints from the national grid, technical faults, and ongoing network upgrades”.
The power company said it was addressing the issues through network maintenance and upgrades, stakeholders’ engagement, deployment of additional resources, and customers’ engagement.
“IBEDC assures residents that we are making continuous efforts to improve electricity distribution and appreciate their patience and cooperation. We remain committed to serving our customers better”, the management added.
Speaking on the development, an energy expert, Prof. Adeola Adenikinju, said there would be a need to improve distribution.
‘’It could be pole collapse , and old infrastructure. There is a need to improve distribution’’, the professor said.
