For about nine years, the residents of Ajayi Egan in Ado/Odo-Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State have endured poor power supply from the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), one of Nigeria’s 11 distribution companies (DisCos).
If it had only been the poor power supply, maybe it would have been bearable. However, they say they have also had to deal with frequent extortion by the same DisCo.
Emmanuel Akinwunmi, one of the residents of Ajayi Egan who spoke with FIJ on Tuesday, said that the community solely funded its electrification project without intervention from IBEDC in 2017.
This is in defiance of a long-running order by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), enacted in 2015, which states that DisCos are solely responsible for investment in electrical projects.
Akinwunmi told FIJ that before IBEDC arrived in their community in 2017, the company subtly told WALETEK NIG. LTD, their contractor, that they wouldn’t supply power unless the community stated that they had donated the transformer to them.
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“Before they came for the energisation, they subtly told our contractor to write that the community donated the transformer to IBEDC; otherwise, it would not be powered,” Akinwunmi said.
He stated that they had contracted WALETEK NIG. LTD after IBEDC had shown consistent reluctance to supply power to Ajayi Egan.
The expenses incurred by the residents on a transformer as far back as 2017.
The expenses incurred by the residents just to get a transformer as far back as 2017 were significant. Surprisingly, while the residents struggled to pay for a new transformer, IBEDC continued to send them electricity bills. To address this, they issued a notice to the energy company.
However, the electricity company kept sending them bills for about nine months.
“In all this, IBEDC kept piling our electricity bills despite being aware we were not using light. This continued for the nine months we were trying to purchase our own transformer,” he said.
Fast forward to when the transformer was powered in the same year.
“They brought bills to us immediately after the energisation, even for the unconsumed energy, which is popularly called crazy bills,” Akinwunmi told FIJ.
Notice of stoppage issued to IBEDC in August 2017.
Now that the community has a transformer, paid for with their money, IBEDC no longer supplies them with power consistently, negatively impacting the community’s economy and businesses. This is compounded by high energy bills.
“The worst part of it is that the light they bring does not commensurate with the money they’re billing us. A lot of the economy has become paralysed; residents who are into perishable edibles are in serious debt as frozen foods are being thrown away due to the failure of IBEDC to supply energy to us,” Akinwunmi told FIJ.
He told FIJ that the community’s demands from IBEDC are simple. Akinwunmi said that IBEDC should be transparent in their dealings with the community by providing prepaid meters and installing Distribution Transformer (DT) meters to monitor consumption.
“Availability of prepaid meters for all. Stop billing us for darkness (post-paid); activate and ensure the use of DT meters installed at our transformer base so we can be sure of the energy we consume, not that they will just be bringing outrageous bills which are not commensurate with the energy supply,” he said.
“IBEDC should contribute towards community transformer projects. They cannot continue to be reaping from where they have not sowed. Constant power supply, because at times they will take light for weeks yet roll out bills and charge us for the energy we do not consume, despite it being the community that bought and did all the project. It’s like we’re opening business centres for them.”
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When FIJ sent an email to IBEDC on January 8, to respond to Akinwunmi’s allegations, there was no response at press time.
FIJ also called Ayodeji Bada, the regional spokesperson of the IBEDC in Ogun State, on Thursday. He said he was not authorised to grant an interview as the issue concerned the headquarters of the distribution company.
“For issues like this, I don’t always have the approval to just speak anyhow because, in IBEDC, there are hierarchies, a chain of command. I cover Ogun State, but speaking on IBEDC in general, it is the headquarters that will answer anything concerning that,” Bada told FIJ.
“And if it is for news publication or whatever, I also need to notify them, and they will give approval on whether to grant it or not. I can’t just say someone called and I granted the interview.”
He asked to check in for an interview by Monday as he would send an email regarding our reporter’s request. However, FIJ sent him multiple WhatsApp messages on Monday and Wednesday as a reminder but he has yet to respond to them.
Meanwhile, Akinwunmi told FIJ on Sunday that someone from the community forwarded FIJ’s inquiry to Bada to him.
“Somebody just forwarded your message to me from the community. I must sincerely appreciate this effort. I strongly believe it’s going to be positive for us. We await the IBEDC’s response and defence,” Akinwunmi said.
“From what I understand, it cascaded from the top to the IBEDC Manager in charge of our catchment area, then to the Customer Relations Officer (CRO) attached to our community, and finally to the joint chairman of our Community Development Associations (CDA).
“From the information gathered, the CRO attended the joint meeting held on Saturday. He came to see if he could persuade the joint chairman to help them identify whoever might have reported them and to plead on their behalf.
“During the meeting, I learnt that he read out the message. However, I was told the CRO was informed that IBEDC has not been fair to our community.”
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