No fewer than 200 Community Development Associations in Obafemi -Owode Local Government in Ogun State took to the streets on Thursday to express their displeasure over prolonged power outages and unfair treatment by the Electricity Distribution Company in their locality.
The residents in the communities expressed their grievances in a peaceful protest/ press briefing well organised by the amalgamated communities of over 200 Community Development Associations under the aegis of four Area Community Development Committees (CDCs) of Adesan, Mowe, Ogunrun , Abaren and Eguu.
Some of the community leaders that spoke during the protest included the Baale of Adesan, Chief Tajudeen Adesanolu; Chief Bamidele Nasiru; Chairman, Adesan CDC, Mr Gafaru Adeyemi; and others
They expressed their displeasure to IBEDC (Mowe Business District) for the erratic, irregular and unequitable supply of electricity in Adesan, Ogunrun, Abaren, Eguu and Mowe, raising posers as to while some other sections of Mowe are enjoying a fair advantage over others.
The communities lamented the inability of IBDEC to supply them regular electricity.
They described treatment by the disco as injustice despite the fact that the residents in the communities were responsible for the purchase of cable, electric poles and transformers in the area.
They noted that inability to get regular power supply has further subjected them to abject poverty, pointing out that many of them have abandoned their trades due to this, in addition to the fact that they could no longer get water supply.
They threatened that nobody in the communities would henceforth pay high estimated bills by the Discos until they get a regular power supply and prepaid meters.
One of the residents said the least bill from IBDEC was N15,000 monthly despite less than 13 hours supply of power throughout December 2023.
The residents lamented that their businesses have been paralysed, due to the poor and irregular power supply.
“Initially we used to have one day on, and one day off,which we were complaining when it was constant unlike now that we cannot predict when we will have light,”they said.
Efforts to get the management of IBEDC, Mowe District to speak about the issue raised proved abortive as the official contacted through phone calls and text messages by Nigerian Tribune refused to pick his calls nor responded to the message.
Also, Chief Narisu and Adeyemi said that all efforts in the past to discuss with IBEDC management in Mowe, Shagamu, Abeokuta and Ibadan did not yield any fruitful results.
In a protest tagged ” Enough is enough” the residents were seen with placards with various inscriptions such as ” Enough of darkness, without light life is meaningless, Adesan needs light, IBDCC gives us light, we need prepaid meters”, among others.
Speaking further, Chief Tajudeen Adesanolu, said the communities were not pleased with the unequitable way the Disco was treating the residents.
“They will give neighboring communities electricity but denied us. What is our sin? We don’t have light,we don’t have road,” he said, calling on the state government to intervene.
Also,the Amuludun of Igbein, Chief Bamidele Nasiru, explained that the residents did not gather to fight but to face the reality on ground.
According to him, when there’s no light,there won’t be security, blaming the electricity distribution company in the locality for unfair treatment metted at the communities.
” You gave 24 hours electricity to the Chinese within the locality but denied Nigerians thesame benefits; and you are bold to come to our communities to disconnect light whereas we are the one that bought the cables, poles, oil and transformers,” he said.
He appealed to the Minister of Power, Bayo Adelabu and President Bola Tinubu to come to the assistance of residents in the communities.
Chairman, Adesan CDC, Mr
Gafaru Adeyemi, said that time has come to demand for a better electricity supply and fair deal from IBEDC, pointing out that the communities could no longer tolerate poor electricity service in the areas.
He decried lack of interest by the disco to invest in equipment, infrastructure and man power, adding that the company lacked good faith in the discharge of its contractual duties of distributing regular, efficient and equitable power supply to all sections of the communities.
He also decried what he referred to as ” unjust, unfair and utterly injustable billing system, saying that IBEDC regime of estimated billing remains the worst.
He warned that no bill should be distributed in any of the communities until there’s a substantial, significant improved and efficient power supply.
“Our communities have also received instructions from our leadership that all electricity consumers, at this very moment must stop any form of payment forthwith until marked improvement is noticed from the present require of 13 hours supply in a month being distributed at the moment,” Adeyemi said.
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