Residents of Ayetoro in the Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State are up in arms against the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) due to what they claim has been six months of continuous blackouts.
The residents, organized under the Yewa North Patriotic Forum, issued a two-week ultimatum to IBEDC, demanding the restoration of power not only to Ayetoro but also to 12 other communities in the local government area.
Expressing their frustration with the power company’s alleged nonchalant attitude, the youth of the area, through an open letter signed by the president of the group, Adeyemi Sunday, and addressed to the state governor, Dapo Abiodun, Senator Solomon Adeola representing Ogun West Senatorial District, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, and other stakeholders, threatened an impending protest and picketing of IBEDC offices within and outside Yewa North if the situation is not addressed.
The group’s letter, which was reportedly rejected at the IBEDC office in Leme Area of Abeokuta, the state capital, highlighted that Ayetoro and several other communities under Yewa North had been without electricity for over six months, with some communities like Igbogila, Ibese, Joga Orile, Imasayi, Iboro, Igan Alade, Eegua, Tata, Ijoun, Ijaka oke, and Ijaka Isale not having experienced electricity for the past two years.
In their letter, the group demanded the immediate restoration of electricity supply to Ayetoro and its surrounding communities, insisting that the IBEDC must upgrade its facilities and cease subjecting consumers to unnecessary suffering.
The group threatened to occupy all IBEDC facilities within and outside Yewa North Local Government in a peaceful and lawful manner if the power company fails to address the issue within the stipulated two weeks, vowing to do everything within their means to prevent the Federal Government from renewing IBEDC’s operating license.
The group also appealed to Governor Abiodun to intervene, emphasizing that the prolonged blackout was exacerbating the hardship faced by the people and negatively impacting businesses and livelihoods in the area.
This recent ultimatum follows similar threats from youths in Iperu, Governor Abiodun’s hometown, who threatened to picket IBEDC offices due to 120 days of blackouts.
In response, the spokesperson for IBEDC, Busolami Tunwase, attributed the power outage to restricted allocation, stating that the DisCo could only distribute what it receives.
Assuring the residents of their efforts to improve the situation, Tunwase apologized for the inconvenience caused by the blackouts.
