Gbenro Adesina
A community-based electricity consumers Association in Ibadan Southeast Local Government Area in Oyo State on Sunday August 1, 2021, commenced a mass mobilization against Ibadan Electricity Distribution company (IBEDC), over mass disconnection.
According to a statement signed by the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ibadan southeast Electricity Consumers Association, Comrade Olaniyi Abdulwasiu, the residents of the area condemned the mass disconnection from the source of electricity supply by Ibadan IBEDC, insists that electricity is a social service and demand immediate restoration.
The mass community sensitisation rally started about 8am from Eleta Community High School with massive participation of representatives from over 40 communities.
Also, among the participants in the rally are representatives of Coalition of Affordable and Regular Electricity, CARE led by Comrade Abiodun Bamigboye, the state secretary of the coalition.
The statement condemned IBEDC for disregarding the pending suit at the Oyo State high court, Ibadan filed by the over 40 different communities that constitute the Ibadan south-east local government area, refusing to maintain status quo and embarking on mass disconnection of thousands of electricity consumers in the local government area.
The statement reads: “It is important to state that members of Ibadan south-east electricity consumers forum were compelled to approach court and filed a suit against IBEDC because the distribution company failed to comply with two different judgments earlier delivered by Nigeria Electricity Regulatory commission, NERC. According to these two judgements, the IBEDC was mandated to stop unlawful imposition of estimated billing system on the electricity consumers in the local government and ordered that it must ensure that all the electricity consumers in the local government are metred at no cost.
“Beyond the fact that the IBEDC refusal to comply with the NERC judgement is an affront on democratic rights of the poor people in the local government to affordable and regular electricity. It also needs to be noted that such a selective kind of mass disconnection is a dubious ploy by the IBEDC to create an undue division and dichotomy among the electricity consumers in the area.
“It is in a bid to defeat the IBEDC ploy to create undue divisions among the electricity consumers in the area, that inform the association decision to embark on a peaceful community mobilisation rally to deflame the IBEDC ploy to create undue divisions among thousands of electricity consumers in the affected communities.
“The demands of the Association remain: no to crazy and outrageous estimated billing system, immediate supply of free pre-paid metre to all electricity consumers in the area, cancellation of all questionable accumulated debt based on estimated billing prior to the installation of prepaid metres, supply of affordable and regular Electricity, cancellation of electricity consumers under different categories of bands and IBEDC should comply with the NERC judgement”.
