The wife of a former Oyo State Governor,
Mrs. Aderonke Olunloyo, joined thousands of residents of the Felele
area of Ibadan on Wednesday to protest against the non-availability of
electricity and “crazy bills” from the Ibadan Electricity Distribution
Company.
The protest came five days before IBEDC
is to appear before the Oyo State House of Assembly, which summoned it
over allegations of arbitrary billing, hoarding of prepaid meters and
poor power supply.
The protesters blocked the road leading
to the community from the Challenge end of the main road, while five
police vans were stationed in the community to forestall a breakdown of
law and order.
Leader of the police team, Chinedu Oko,
said although the protest was peaceful, it was wrong to block a public
road, while also persuading the protesters to channel their grievances
to the relevant authorities.
Olunloyo told our correspondent that
IBEDC had failed in its responsibility to supply electricity to the
Felele area, while neighbouring communities enjoyed its services.
She said it was a situation that had persisted for more than 10 years.
“The last time we had electricity was
two months ago and it lasted for only a few minutes. When we complained,
we were told that electricity would not be supplied to the area for six
months.
“We also heard from a reliable source
that electricity meant for the area was diverted to the Lagos-Ibadan
Expressway for companies on the expressway.
“There are more than 200,000 people in
Felele, including artisans that depend on electricity for their work.
With the absence of electricity and petrol, they have been idle. Don’t
forget that an idle hand is the devil’s workshop. We provided land for
the electricity company to place its transformer, but we are not
enjoying anything in return. I once paid N8,000 electricity bill without
getting value for it.”
Leader of the community youths, Akinade
Asuni, alleged that IBEDC diverted the power meant for companies in the
area while bringing only bills to the people of the area.
He said, “We look around us and see
electricity daily, but we don’t have electricity in Felele. Despite
this, the bills we get monthly are outrageous. We met the management of
IBEDC last week, but nothing has been done.”
Reacting to the allegation against it
through a statement by the IBEDC Public Relations Officer, Mr. Frank
Williams, the company said after meeting with elders in the community,
its workers would return to the area to ensure proper distribution of
electricity.
It, however, added that electricity generation was beyond its powers.
“In line with our corporate policy as a
customer-focused organisation, we have agreed to send back our workers
after strong assurances from the lawmaker representing the Ibadan South
East Constituency II, Ademola Ige, on safety and security. We assure the
public that IBEDC will continue to strive to provide quality service to
all its esteemed customers within its franchise,” the statement read in
part.
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