Hundreds of residents from the Iwo Road-Lalupon communities in Ibadan, Oyo State, staged a peaceful protest on Monday outside the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) office in Monatan and the Oyo State Secretariat.
The protesters, carrying placards and banners with slogans such as "IBEDC is a scam," "Light Up Iwo/Lalupon," "We reject darkness," and "Fourteen years, our children haven't seen electricity," expressed their deep frustration over the decade-long power outage in their neighborhoods.
Tajudeen Omotosho, the chairman of the Protest Committee of Iwo-Lalupon Electricity Feeder Consumers, told PREMIUM TIMES that despite a contract awarded by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in December 2023 to resolve the electricity issue, the promised contractor has yet to arrive on site.
"We want to know which 'Alagbara' (a reference to the contractor) denied us our rights. There are two contracts, Oyo and Lalupon, and the letters of award were issued at the same time. The contractor for Oyo has completed his job and is about to turn on the light. We have never seen the contractor awarded the contract for our area. We want to know who collected the money," Omotosho said.
After voicing their concerns at the IBEDC office, the protesters, in a convoy of over eight buses and cars, proceeded to the Oyo State Secretariat in Agodi to seek the government's intervention.
Addressing the protesters, Odukoya Sunday, the Executive Assistant to the Governor on Security Matters, acknowledged the peaceful nature of the demonstration and assured the residents that the government would take steps to ensure the restoration of electricity in their communities.
"We have formed a committee among them now. We are now going to my office to ensure everything is normalised," Odukoya said.
The protesters shared their personal struggles, with local technician Oluwashina Abiọdun stating that the lack of electricity has damaged the electronic equipment he uses for his work. Fashion designer Adeola Akinrinade also lamented how the power outage has severely impacted her business, particularly during the festive season.