By Adeyinka Adeniran
Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) on Sunday identified several factors that have contributed to the current state of poor power supply within its franchise areas.
The situation, the company recognised, has resulted in disruptions and inconveniences for residents and businesses.
The Management in a statement issued on Sunday by the Lead, Media Relations, Busolami Tunwase said it found it imperative to communicate the issues and challenges to the customers so as to foster understanding while also reassuring the customers of the company’s commitment to finding lasting solutions.
According to Tunwase, low supply of gas to generating companies (Gencos) which has led to a gradual decrease in available generation into the grid as well as scheduled maintenance activities conducted by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) in January and March, 2024 necessitated planned outages in specific areas of her network
Additionally, she said vandalism and theft of electricity infrastructures remains a major issue negatively impacting power supply, lamenting that the company has been particularly confronted with escalating cases of vandalism, with over 40 incidents recorded in 2024 alone.
She also identified payment apathy from customers as a major challenge to adequate supply of power, among others.
However, the company said, despite the challenges, it remained optimistic that the poor supply will soon become a thing of the past as the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu has taken urgent steps to address the gas supply issue.
The statement reads in part, “Several factors have contributed to the current state of the power supply within our franchise, resulting in disruptions and inconveniences for residents and businesses.
“The Management of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company Plc (IBEDC) would like to communicate these issues to foster understanding and reassure our esteemed customers of our commitment to finding lasting solutions.
“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 apologize for any disruptions experienced by our customers.
“Furthermore, vandalism and theft of electricity infrastructures remains a major issue negatively impacting power supply. An example is the unfortunate vandalism of TCN towers in Ogun state in May 2023 which resulted in over 7 months of darkness for many of our valued 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.
“Energy theft through illegal connections, meter bypass and illicit meters are also major issues affecting adequate supply of power to customers, because they result in revenue losses and liquidity problems for the electricity value chain. We have also noticed an alarming upsurge, with over 1,450 identified cases of energy theft between January and February 2024.
“Lastly, payment apathy from customers is a major challenge to adequate supply of power. Unfortunately, across our customer segments we have different mindsets that electricity is a social service and should not be paid for; some only pay part of the bill, while others don’t pay because they haven’t received their preferred hours of supply.
“To all our customers, our appeal is simple, please pay for whatever hours of supply you have consumed in addition to the outstanding bills to enable IBEDC survive and become sustainable as this is the guarantee for improved power supply.”
The statement reads further, “Despite these challenges, we remain optimistic that poor supply will soon become a thing of the past as the Honorable Minister 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.”
