By Adeyinka Adeniran
Following the recent protest by some residents in Ibadan, the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) on Wednesday disclosed ongoing efforts to restore power outage in Lalupon community among other underserved communities in the area.
This is as the company expressed an apology to the affected communities for the poor supply noting that it is also loosing more by not been to supply to meet customers need.
The company said prior to the protest a proactive move was already ongoing which was not only aimed at ensuring that residents in the affected community start to enjoy more power supply in the area but also to enhance service delivery and expanding access to other communities across its franchise areas.
Speaking, at a press conference held at IBEDC Headquarters, Ring Road, Ibadan. the Coordinating Head, Corporate Services, Mrs. Angela Olanrewaju lamented that despite the award of the 33KV substation project in Lalupon, funded by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as part of the IBEDC-PIP CBN CAPEX PROJECTS – 2023, the project is pending due to the awaited CBN financial intervention.
According to her, part of the ongoing frantic measures taken by IBEDC include but not limited to, 65 percent of customers on the feeder, who are currently receiving supply, with 40 transformers on load shedding while exploring options to back feed some of the remaining Distribution Substations (DSS) from an alternative feeder.
She said other measures being put in place are the; New Asejire to Lalupon quick wins and extensive use of Isolators with the existing network arrangement within a timeline of three weeks as well as cascading of load between feeders within a timeline of four weeks.
Corenews reports that residents of Lalupon community had on Monday, took to the streets to protest against power outage in the area. The protesters with different inscriptions on their banners and placards, expressed their grievance and appealed for restoration of electricity supply to the affected communities which include Adewumi, Trailer Park, Adeleye, Erunmu, Fatumo, Atari, Lalupon, Ejioku, lIle-lgbon, and lyana-Ofa among others.
Olanrewaju, while lamenting some of the company’s challenges to include funding and right of way, explained that IBEDC, which serves large parts of Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Kwara, and parts of Niger, Ekiti, and Kogi states, has already embarked on a comprehensive strategy to upgrade its infrastructure and expand its network reach towards improving electricity supply to the company’s operational area.
This includes the rehabilitation of existing infrastructure, and expansion of seamless access to prepaid meters to ensure transparency and efficient electricity billing. She equally highlighted the company’s commitment to bridging the gap in service delivery.
“We recognize the challenges faced by consumers in accessing reliable electricity, especially in remote areas and we’re working round the clock to ensure our customers get value for their money because the truth is that, we’re actually losing on revenue when there’s power outage.
“Our ongoing efforts are geared towards not only improving service reliability but also ensuring equitable distribution of power across our coverage area,” she added.
Similarly, IBEDC’s Head of Technical, Lawal Christopher in his corroborative address provided project update and reaffirmed the commitment of the company to customer satisfaction.
He said: The substation project in Lalupon, funded by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) as part of the IBEDC-PIP CBN CAPEX PROJECTS – 2023, is integral to our plans. This project involves the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) of the Lalupon 1 x 15MVA, 33/11kV Injection Substation.
“Key components of the project include: Construction of Lalupon 33kV Feeder from the Iwo 30/40MVA, 132/33kV, Transmission Station. Proposed 33kV T-Off from the Lalupon 33kV Feeder to serve as an in-feed to the Lalupon 1x 15MVA, 33/11kV Injection Substation.
“Construction and Installation of the Lalupon 1x15MVA, 33/11kV Injection Substation with the radiation of 2 No. 11kV feeders.
“As a customer centric company, we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused by these challenges and are using this medium to assure our customers that every effort is being made to expedite the completion of the 33kV substation project and restore full power supply.”
The Oyo Regional Head, Mr Olumide Akinmusire, in his brief remark, assured that all hands are on deck to improve on the company’s services while deliberate actions are being put in place to ensure more efficiency in its operations.
