Locals in Ogun community express frustration over intermittent electricity provision

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Some residents of Christ Avenue Community in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area, Ogun State, have lamented the erratic power supply in the area, saying the unstable electricity has disrupted their daily activities and businesses.

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The residents, who spoke with our correspondent on Saturday, said the community often experienced irregular power supply, with electricity sometimes available for a few days before going off for several days.

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They also lamented that the situation had affected household activities, particularly food preservation and laundry.

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Speaking with our correspondent, a fashion designer who identified herself simply as Folashewa, said the unstable power supply had increased her business expenses, as she had no other option but to rely on alternative sources of electricity to keep her business running.

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She said, “Whenever there is no light, I use gas and charcoal to iron customers’ clothes. Sometimes, I fill up 2kg of gas, and it doesn’t last for more than two weeks.

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“I lose money like that. If there is stable light, I will be happy, and my business will keep growing,” the fashion designer said.

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A resident who identified herself as Mummy Zakariya said the erratic supply had made food preservation difficult, thereby resulting in additional expenses as she had to buy food items in smaller quantities.

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She said, “Because the light is not stable, I cannot buy food items in bulk. I have to buy it in smaller quantities. We usually put my children’s uniform under the pillow and sleep on it to stretch it before the following school day.”

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Another resident, Mr Mathew, lamented that he spent additional money on fuel despite the financial pressure it placed on his household.

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He said, “Because of other financial commitments, I do not put on the generator the way I want to. If I want to use the generator weekly because of the erratic power supply in our community in Mowe, I spend N10,000 weekly on fuel, and we are still going to pay for those days we do not have power supply.”

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According to Matthew, when he complained to the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, he was told that the community only received the electricity capacity supplied by the company from its headquarters.

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“The former official who was in charge of this area told me, which I told the people here. He said the kilowatt Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company supplies them is what they give,” he added.

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When contacted on Saturday, the IBEDC Head of Corporate Affairs, Angela Olanrewaju, directed our correspondent to the company’s Media Relations Officer, Daniel Adugbo.

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However, Adugbo had yet to respond to calls and messages sent to him on Sunday as of the time of filing this report.

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