Offa community petitions Power minister over electricity woes

Residents of the ancient town of Offa, Offa local government area of Kwara state under the aegis of the Ibolo Consumers Advocacy of Nigeria (ICAN) have petitioned the minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, seeking urgent infrastructural improvements at the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) Business Hub in the area.

The petition, signed by the organization’s president, Engineer Tajudeen Iwalola, alongside Secretary, Shehu Olanrewaju and Public Relations Officer (PRO), Yinka Ajibade, highlights the dire state of electricity supply in Offa and its surrounding communities.

It would be recalled that in August 2024, The Acting managing director of the IBEDC, Engineer Francis Agoha, led the management team of the company to commission a new business hub in Offa, to serve Offa and Oyun local government areas of the state.

The advocacy group, which said that towns in Offa and Oyun local government areas thrive on commerce, education and trade, added that they had been negatively affected by unstable power supply, raising concerns over long-term development prospects.

The electricity distribution company was being accused of purchasing insufficient megawatt capacity from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), leading to frequent load rejections. This, the group, claimed had resulted in erratic power supply, with businesses and households experiencing prolonged blackouts.

ICAN called on the minister to direct IBEDC to procure an adequate electricity supply to eliminate load rejection and stabilize power distribution.

“The Offa Business Hub, which serves over 70,000 customers, suffers from frequent load rejections due to IBEDC’s inability to purchase sufficient megawatt capacity from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN). This has led to unreliable electricity supply, adversely affecting residents, institutions, and businesses.

“The Offa Feeder, which serves over 30,000 consumers, is reportedly one of the longest and most overburdened feeders in the region.

“Major infrastructural issues include: the two existing 7.5 MVA transformers, installed in 1963, are in a deteriorating state, leaking transformer oil and at risk of total failure.

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“The current 35mm conductor is inadequate for the growing demand, leading to power fluctuations and inefficiencies.

“ICAN is urging the government to replace these ageing transformers with modern alternatives and upgrade the conductors to a 150mm capacity for improved power transmissions.

“Currently, Offa, Township, Industrial, and Igosun receive only 1–2 hours of electricity daily, while Owode and Ojoku receive less than four hours. This is far below the 12-hour daily supply mandated by NERC regulations for urban and suburban areas. This insufficient power supply has negatively impacted education, healthcare, business operations, and overall quality of life in Offa and its environs.

“The erratic supply has had devastating effects on businesses, education, and healthcare services in Offa. Schools struggle with digital learning, hospitals face challenges in running medical equipment, and businesses are forced to rely on expensive alternative power sources”, the group said.

“ICAN subsequently recommended that the Honourable Minister intervene and direct IBEDC to purchase sufficient megawatt capacity from TCN to eliminate load rejection, replace outdated transformers and upgrade the undersized conductors, ensure a minimum of 12 hours of electricity supply daily in line with NERC regulations and distribute prepaid meters with consumer-friendly payment options”.

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