The Management of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company Plc (IBEDC) has revealed that vandalism, energy theft and routine maintenance works have contributed to poor power supply and distribution in  Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Kwara and partly in Kogi, Niger and Ekiti states.

This was revealed in a statement by the IBEDC spokesperson, Mrs Busolami Tunwase over the weekend in Ibadan, the capital city of Oyo State.

 

She further stated that the management would like to communicate the issues affecting the Disco in order to foster understanding and reassure its customers to its commitment of finding lasting solutions.

 

“Several factors have contributed to the current state of the power supply within our franchise, resulting in disruptions and inconveniences for residents and businesses.

 

“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.  This has significantly reduced the power available on the transmission grid for onward supply to IBEDC, and in turn, greatly hindered our ability to provide power to customers within our franchise in Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Kwara and partly in Kogi, Niger and Ekiti states”, the IBEDC said.

 

It further stated that scheduled maintenance activities conducted by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) in January and March, 2024 necessitated planned outages in specific areas of our network while assuring that the measures are essential for ensuring long-term reliability of electricity infrastructure.

 

The statement further revealed that vandalism and theft of electricity infrastructures remains a major issue negatively impacting power supply in the country.

 

“The unfortunate vandalism of TCN towers in Ogun state in May 2023 which resulted in over 7 months of darkness for many of our customers. At IBEDC we are particularly confronted with the escalating cases of vandalism, with over 40 incidents recorded in 2024 alone. The theft of valuable assets such as transformer oil, cables and aluminum conductors pose a significant challenge to our operations, as communities affected are thrown into extended periods of outage depending on the severity of the act.

 

“Also, payment apathy from customers is another major challenge to adequate supply of power. Customer segments have different mindsets that electricity is a social service and should not be paid for while some only pay part of the bill. Others don’t pay because they don’t received their preferred ours of supply”.

 

The management, however, revealed that poor supply will soon become a thing of the past stating that the Honorable Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu has taken urgent steps to address the gas supply issue.

 

Adding, “On energy theft and vandalism, we are currently partnering with security agencies to reduce this vice. We urge our customers to remain vigilant, protect electrical infrastructures within their communities and report any suspicious activities promptly.

 

“We are implementing comprehensive measures to improve and strengthen our infrastructure in order to efficiently distribute the power we receive from the grid.  We are also urgently exploring alternate sources of power to enable us meet the power supply needed within our franchise, the management submitted.