Thursday, March, 5 2026 - Tension gripped the Osun Regional Office of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company in Osogbo, the state capital, on Wednesday, as residents staged a protest over what they described as persistent poor electricity supply.
The protesters converged on Oke Baale and marched through
the Station Road area before assembling and proceeding to the IBEDC office
located off Station Road.
The presence of heavily armed security operatives deployed
to guard the facility heightened anxiety, as demonstrators chanted solidarity
songs and demanded improved power supply to their communities.
The residents issued a seven-day ultimatum to the
distribution company to restore the affected communities to Band A
classification, warning that failure to comply would compel them to take
“lawful and collective actions, including reconsidering the operational access
of the IBEDC personnel within these communities.”
Presenting a letter of complaint to the IBEDC Osun Regional
Head, Ifeanyi Ikeji, a protest leader, Akeem Badmus, said the march was
organised under the aegis of the United Communities.
He explained that during a meeting held on February 28,
2026, representatives from Owo-Eba, Garage Ilesa, Tara, Oke-Baale axis, OSBC
area, UNIOSUN area, Air Force Base, Army Depot, Boredun, Coker, Odu, Omu and
other affected areas expressed deep concerns over what they termed an epileptic
power supply.
Reading from a letter signed by Sulaiman Buruji (Chairman,
United Communities), Atoyebi Akeem, Adebayo Oladepo and Oseni Abidemi, Badmus
said residents had suffered grossly inadequate electricity supply since their
reclassification from Bands A and B to Band C.
“Contrary to the provisions of the Electricity Distribution
Service Reflective Tariff framework, which stipulates a minimum of 12 to 16
hours of electricity supply daily for Band C customers, our communities barely
receive an average of four hours per day. In some instances, entire days pass
without any electricity supply,” he said.
The letter also referenced circulating allegations that
electricity allocated to the communities was being diverted and sold to the
highest bidder.
“While we cannot independently verify these claims, the
persistent and unexplained deprivation of supply has fuelled widespread
suspicion and dissatisfaction among residents,” Badmus added.
He said the situation had taken a toll on households and
businesses, with small-scale enterprises on the brink of collapse. He cited the
Osun State Broadcasting Corporation as reportedly transmitting for less than
six hours daily due to inadequate power supply.
Responding, Ikeji explained that the affected communities
were downgraded from Band A because IBEDC could not consistently meet the
minimum supply hours required under that classification.
“As of today, the cost of electricity is close to N128. I
would prefer to sell to you under Band A because we are in business. But moving
customers to Band A does not depend solely on the IBEDC. The Nigerian
Electricity Regulatory Commission is the body that approves such
reclassification,” he said.
He added that Band A customers are expected to receive up to
20 hours of electricity daily, a benchmark the company was unable to sustain
for the affected areas.
“When we placed you on Band A, and we were not meeting the
required hours, I felt it was unjust to keep you on that band. That was what
led to the downgrade. I am sorry if you were not aware of what led to it,”
Ikeji said.
On the demand to revert to Band A, he noted, “It is my
desire to return you to Band A, but the current power constraints will not
allow it. Immediately the situation improves, you will be moved back.”
The protesters, however, insisted that the company must
address their grievances within the stipulated seven days.
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