Kwara community protest five month outage

Scores of members of Checking Point community, near International Aviation College, Ilorin, Kwara State, on Thursday protested against a five-month power outage in the area.

The protesters marched to the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, Otte Service Unit, Baboko Business Office, singing war songs and displaying placards.

Some inscriptions on the placards, read, ‘Stop blackout in Checking Point community,’ ‘Companies in our community are running away,’ ‘Save our souls,’ ‘We want urgent solution.’

The Secretary of the community, Mr. Olushola Gbajumo, and a landlord in the community, Mr. Ayanniyi Oluyemi told our correspondent that the community had contributed N17m “to purchase and install a transformer in the community, as well as wiring.

They further said officials of the IBEDC had approved the wiring and installation of the transformer.

They stated that it was sad that five months after the community spent N17m, electricity had not been restored to the area.

Gbajumo said, “We have not been having power for about five months. Some areas in our community have become hiding places for thieves, armed robbers and other criminals. We do not know what we did to IBEDC. We paid for a transformer, we brought it here. Each household contributed N17,000. About 1,000 houses paid.”

Oluyemi said members of the Checking Point community had had meetings with the IBEDC committee handling the issue. He said the committee said it was waiting for approval

He said, “The IBEDC officials here told us that people higher than them were calling the shots and that there was nothing they could do about it.

“They have come up to five times to see the transformer and the wiring that we did. They said everything was ok. We do not know why they are delaying in restoring power. We want them to get to the root of the matter.”

The Commercial Manager, IBEDC, Otte Service Unit, Baboko Business Office, Ilorin, Mrs. Sherifaat Alege, pleaded with the protesters to be patient, adding that IBEDC was addressing the power problem in  their area.

She said, “Please, gentlemen and women, there is no problem. We shall get there please.