Residents of Mogede, a community located in the Ibafo area of Obafemi Owode Local Government in Ogun State, have raised serious concerns over the conduct of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, accusing the utility firm of diverting electricity intended for their area to neighboring private companies.
According to The PUNCH, the community claimed they have endured months of darkness despite receiving high electricity bills.
They also lamented what they described as an “astronomical increase in billing,” saying the prolonged power outage has paralyzed local businesses and worsened living conditions for many families.
In a protest letter signed by the community chairperson, Bisiriyu Serifat, residents condemned the persistent lack of electricity, alleging that power designated for their area is being diverted to commercial entities.
The letter, which was obtained by PUNCH on Saturday, stated, “For many months now, we have been having epileptic electricity supply in our community despite the astronomical increase in billing, which must be paid as and when due by customers, otherwise disconnection follows.
“Information reaching us states that electricity meant for our C.D.A is often traded illegally to surrounding companies, while we are persistently left in darkness.”
The community has called on the Ogun State Government and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission to immediately investigate their claims and intervene.
Expressing the frustrations of the residents, Quadri Adelagun alleged that IBEDC has consistently favored supplying power to private companies over residential consumers.
“For several months now, we have been living in darkness, yet IBEDC keeps bringing us bills as if we are enjoying 24-hour power supply. How can we be paying for electricity we are not using?” he said.
Adelagun added that all efforts to engage with the distribution company have proved futile.
“We are not getting value for our money. We have met with IBEDC officials several times, but they have refused to take any action. They continue to take us for granted, as if we are nobody.
“We strongly suspect that IBEDC is illegally trading the electricity meant for our community to other companies in the area. Whenever we get light, it is only for a few hours, but these companies enjoy steady power supply,” he added.
However, IBEDC denied the allegations of power diversion.
According to the Senior Communication Officer of the company in Ogun State, Ayodeji Bada, the electricity provided to nearby companies is via dedicated connections, which are not part of the public grid serving residential areas.
Bada explained that Mogede falls under Band E customers, meaning their billing is based on the methodology approved by the NERC.
He further attributed the inconsistent power supply to the community to limited allocation and the resulting rotational distribution system.
“Mogede community is part of our customer base in the Ibafo area. The electricity supply to this region, which serves Magboro, Ibafo 1, and Ibafo 2, is sourced from the Oke-Aro Transmission Station.
“The total load demand for these communities is 45MW, yet the allocation from the transmission station is currently limited to 12MW. This results in a rotational energy management system, where the three service centers receive supply on a daily rotational basis,” he explained.
