Ife North Residents Groan Under Nine Months Power Outage

 

Yusuf Oketola

RESIDENTS of Ife North local government of the state of Osun are groaning under nine-month-old power outage which has thrown the communities into darkness.  

Communities under the local governments have been without electricity since June 2021 as a result of a faulty 7.5MVA transformer that supplied power to them. 

The affected communities, known as Origbo mejeeje are: Moro, Ipetumodu, Asipa, Isope, Edunabon, Akinlalu, Yakoyo.

The Osun State House of Assembly had intervened in the power outage and summoned the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC).

But the IBEDC said it did not have capacity to repair the faulty transformer, saying that it would cost about N90m. 

However, the state government had in January this year donated the N90m for the rehabilitation of the transformer. 

The transformer, it was gathered, had been evacuated for repair last week, but there was no time frame for the restoration of electricity to the affected communities. 

A resident of Ipetumodu, Damilola Olalekan, who spoke with OSUN DEFENDER yesterday, lamented that the power outage has wrecked his job, saying he has not been able to do major work since the transformer had developed fault. 

Olalekan, a welder, wondered why it would take IBEDC and the state government to repair a faulty transformer over a month. 

According to Olalekan, many businesses have paralysed in Ipetumodu because of the power outage which both government and IBEDC were not taking serious until recently.  

He said it is a sign of underdevelopment as a state and country for seven communities to be without electricity for over nine months. 

Olalekan said the attitude of the IBEDC and the government exposed them that they are not sensitive to peoples plight and welfare. 

He stated further: “We have no electricity in these communities for the past nine months and our government and IBEDC think that is a good thing. We have members of House of Assembly, Senator and House of Reps member and we are still experiencing darkness for over nine months. This is a sign of underdevelopment as a state and country. We now know that our government and IBEDC are just paying lip services to our welfare. 

“To the government officials among us, you have failed the people who voted you into power.  Posterity will judge all of you. It has now been on record that the whole Ife North local government was put into darkness due to the negligence and nonchalant attitude of IBEDC, political leaders, and our representatives”.

Reacting to the power outage, a resident of Akinlalu, Mrs Oluwabunmi Francis, said it is unfortunate that the Origbo mejeeje have been thrown into darkness for the past nine months, a development that has negatively affected the wellbeing of residents and economy of the communities. 

Francis accused Governor Adegboyega Oyetola’s administration of delayed intervention for political reason.

She said: “A year ago, Ayeepe did not have electricity supply, now it is the turn of Ife North local government. The intention of the government is probably to restore the electricity back when election time is near. So, they can use it for campaign.”