Residents of Iree, a town in Boripe Local Government Area of Osun State, have called on the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company to disconnect them from the grid if it cannot provide a reliable power supply.
For over a year, the community has endured inconsistent electricity while IBEDC continues to issue estimated bills, a situation that has frustrated many.
Speaking with The PUNCH on Saturday, Prince Ali Afolabi, a real estate developer, accused IBEDC of taking advantage of residents.
He highlighted that despite numerous applications for prepaid meters, many people were still waiting to receive them.
Afolabi further alleged that the company was using black meters to impose estimated billing, leading to excessive charges.
He urged the Osun State government to intervene and insisted that if the power situation could not be improved, the town should be disconnected entirely.
“The company should exit Iree and save us from continuously paying for darkness. It is very bad that we can’t even have an hour of electricity in a day.
“IBEDC cannot continue to rip our people off.
“Businesses are dying, and many small-scale enterprises have folded up because they cannot afford generators and fuel to keep running. This is because IBEDC has failed to live up to expectations in providing power.
“We have made several efforts to call the attention of the managers in Iree and Ikirun, but nothing has been done. We cannot continue to tolerate their arbitrariness and exploitative tendencies. We can’t keep quiet on this—it is either they improve the supply to Iree or cut us off completely,” he said.
Another resident, Muyiwa Aina, echoed similar frustrations, lamenting that only a handful of people had prepaid meters, while many who applied were still waiting.
“The maximum electricity supply we usually get is two hours. We have been living in darkness for over a year. Many businesses that rely on electricity have shut down because their owners couldn’t afford the high cost of petrol to run generators. IBEDC has not been fair to us,” Aina said.
In response, IBEDC acknowledged the concerns of Iree residents and appealed for patience, citing technical and supply issues.
The Senior Communication Officer for IBEDC’s Osun Region, Kikelomo Owoeye, stated, “As a committed and service-oriented organisation, we wish to appeal to the stakeholders and esteemed customers of Iree community to bear with us as we are currently experiencing some technical and supply challenges.
“We are working diligently to ensure that the supply we have is distributed equitably and efficiently. We also want to clarify that we purchase the energy we distribute to customers; therefore, we appeal to them to pay for the energy they consume to enable us to serve them better.”
Despite IBEDC’s assurances, the frustration among Iree residents remains high, with many calling for urgent action to address the electricity crisis.
