Ogun residents protest as IBEDC reject community-funded ₦11m transformer
Residents of Ireakari community in Ogun State's Ikenne Local Government Area held a protest on Saturday over the alleged refusal of officials of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) to connect their transformer to the national grid. The community had spent over ₦11 million on the installation of the transformer.The protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as "Ireakari community is tired of pitch darkness," "IBEDC, connect light to our transformer," and "Gov Dapo Abiodun, call IBEDC to order." They lamented that erratic power supply and frequent blackouts had paralyzed business activities in the area and worsened insecurity.
The Secretary of the Ireakari Community Development Association, Mr. Taiwo Idowu, stated that the community had donated a transformer in 2018, which was inspected and certified fit for use by IBEDC officials. However, after the community spent over ₦11 million on installation, IBEDC refused to connect the transformer to the grid, claiming it was refurbished.
Idowu questioned the sudden change in certification and appealed to Governor Dapo Abiodun and the Chairman of Ikenne Local Government to intervene. The community's head, Chief Adeyemo Sofola, and other residents also appealed for help, citing the negative impact of the power outage on their livelihoods and the community's socio-economic growth.
The Public Relations Officer of IBEDC, Mr. Yomi Bada, refuted the community's claims, stating that the company was not contacted until the transformer had already been installed. He explained that the transformer was refurbished and substandard, and therefore could not be certified. Bada promised to contact the regional head of the distribution company to explore possible ways to assist the community.
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