By Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

The management of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company Plc (IBEDC) has attributed the incessant power outage within its franchise to a number of factors, including the alarming upsurge in energy theft with over 1,450 identified cases of energy theft between January and February 2024.

The affected franchise, according to a statement by the IBEDC, are Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Kwara and partly Kogi, Niger and Ekiti states.

Incessant blackouts in the affected areas have resulted in disruptions and inconveniences for residents and businesses with many residents lamenting the effects of the current heat waves on them due to lack of electricity .

According to the statement, “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, namely Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Kwara and partly in Kogi, Niger and Ekiti states.

“Secondly, 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 these measures are essential for ensuring the long-term reliability of electricity infrastructure, we recognize the inconvenience they may cause and sincerely apologise for any disruptions experienced by our customers.

“It is also regretted that vandalism and theft of electricity infrastructures and payment apathy from customers remain a major issue negatively impacting power supply.

“Despite these challenges, we remain optimistic that poor supply will soon become a thing of the past as Hon ninister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu has taken urgent steps to address the gas supply issue.

“On energy theft and vandalism, we are currently partnering with security agencies to reduce this vice,.however, 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.”

Ends