Six-year blackout: Oyo communities appeal to Makinde, IBEDC for urgent intervention

Residents of Komu, Babaode and Igbojaye communities in Itesiwaju Local Government Area of Oyo have appealed to Governor Seyi Makinde, the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, and the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) to restore electricity to the communities after six years of blackout.

The residents said the prolonged power outage had crippled economic activities, forced businesses to close or relocate, disrupted students’ studies and worsened security concerns in the agrarian communities in Oke-Ogun.

Speaking with newsmen, a community leader in Babaode, Mr Theophilus Oguntona, said the community had been without electricity for six years due to damaged electricity poles linking it to the power supply network.

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According to him, some electricity wires connected to the poles were cut after dry trees were brought down by strong winds, leaving the community disconnected from the national grid.

Oguntona said residents had made several efforts to clear bushes around the electricity poles to give officials of the distribution company easy access to the affected areas, but their efforts had yet to yield any result.

“Efforts by residents who cleared the bushes around the electric poles for easy access to officials of the Electricity Distribution Company have not yielded fruitful results, as residents have been abandoned to their fate,” he said.

He said the prolonged blackout had taken a serious toll on the local economy, particularly artisans and small business owners whose livelihoods depended on electricity.

Oguntona noted that welders, barbers, tailors and cold-room operators had either shut down their businesses or relocated to communities with electricity, while students had also been deprived of the opportunity to study at night.

Residents of Komu similarly expressed concern over the impact of the blackout, particularly on security.

They said the absence of electricity had made residents reluctant to remain outside their homes after dark, with many forced to return indoors as early as 7pm.

“Residents stay indoors from 7pm due to the security situation in the country. We are appealing to the government and relevant agencies to come to our aid.

“We will be glad if we can have electricity restored latest by December this year,” they pleaded.

The residents urged Governor Makinde and the IBEDC management to urgently intervene and restore electricity to the affected communities before the end of the year.

They said restoring power would help revive economic activities, support small businesses, improve security and enable students to study at night, while reducing the socio-economic hardship caused by the prolonged blackout.