The Kwara State House of Assembly has given the management of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) one week ultimatum to improve on its services in the state in view of poor service to electricity consumers.
The legislature issued the ultimatum when senior management staff of IBEDC who were summoned appeared before the House Committee on Energy at the Assembly Complex in Ilorin, the state capital.
LEADERSHIP reports that most residents of Ilorin, especially those in the downtown have been in total darkness for more than two weeks, without any cogent reasons from the electricity company.
The residents, especially the fasting Muslims have to contend with the excruciating heat, day and night since there was no electricity for their domestic use.
The House had on 19th March, 2024 raised a motion on the need to address the poor service of IBEDC and curb the alleged extortionist tendencies of its staff in the state.
It then resolved that the Committee on Energy, chaired by Hon. Seun Ogunniyi should invite the senior management team of the distribution company to address the issues raised on poor electricity supply and distribution in Kwara State.
Consequently, IBEDC management was invited on Monday, 25th March 2024, to address the committee.
During their appearance before the legislators, representatives of electricity company were upbraided on their poor service delivery and its effect on the economic and social well-being of the residents of the state.
The committee demanded improvement in electricity service delivery and on other pertinent issues bothering on power supply in the state, including low energy allocation as well as consequential load shedding, unavailablity of pre-paid meters and the need to ensure that consumers have access to meters while demanding the cessation of outrageous estimated billing to customers.
The lawmakers also demanded from IBEDC a commitment towards the repair of malfunctioning transformers, restoration of public confidence and the need for them to ensure good community and stakeholders relations.
The IBEDC management was similarly mandated to revert to the House Committee on Energy within one week, with actionable plans to address the issues raised.
IBEDC, had in a statement on March 10,2024 advanced reasons for the poor power supply in Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Kwara, Kogi, Niger and Ekiti states.
It blamed the poor power supply to the aforementioned states on the upsurge in energy theft with over 1,450 identified cases of energy theft between January and February 2024.
The company added that, “one of the primary factors is the low supply of gas to generating companies (Gencos) which has led to a gradual decrease in available generation into the grid.”
The electricity distribution firm stressed that this has significantly reduced the power available on the transmission grid for onward supply to IBEDC, and in turn, greatly hindered its ability to provide power to customers within its franchise in Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Kwara and partly in Kogi, Niger and Ekiti states.
