Ife North To Get 10 Hours Electricity Supply Following Olatunji’s Intervention

Towards ensuring steady supply of electricity in his constituency, the Chief Whip of Osun State House of Assembly, Hon Tunde Olatunji has facilitated an electricity stakeholder’s interactive session between management of the major power distributor in the area, the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, IBDEC and his constituency.

At the conclusion of the session, the IBEDC officials led by the Regional Communication Manager, Miss Kike Owoeye promised that commencing from March, electricity supply to Ife North Local Government would increase to 10 hours daily.

The constituency is made up of seven communities commonly refers as ‘Origbo Meje’, including Edunabon, Yakooyo, Ipetumodu, Asipa and Moro, all in Ife North Local Government and Ife North West Local Administration Development Council.

The stakeholders which comprised of community leaders, Chiefs, leaders of Artisan groups, youth and Students organizations had become agitated over what they call two hours power supply in eight days of the month, a recurrent experience in the last two years.

In an opening remark at the forum, the convener, Olatunji explained that the meeting was to provide a platform for the communities to engage the energy distributors in a peaceful atmosphere.

The Chief Whip noted the unfortunate damage to power installations and injury to staff of electricity distribution company by youth of some towns due to epileptic supply and unjustifiable billing, a development which he said the meeting was intended to mitigate.

Olatunji who informed the gathering that Obafemi Awolowo University, located in the constituency would soon quit the national grid to generate it own power, argued that such development should be an added advantage to communities in Ife North Local Government.

The Legislator promised to appoint a liason officer who would regularly interface with IBEDC and energy consumers in the areas for early and ease of resolving complaint, most especially on the vexatious issue of estimated billing.

In their presentations, the President of Ipetumodu Progressive Union, Doctor Oyebowale Olagunju, that of of Edunabon, Mr Akande Odebode and Prince Wale Oyebowale who represented natives of Yakoyo expressed optimism that the interaction would yield positive development of improved power supply to the area.

Prince Oyebowale in particular decried a prevalent situation, where the bill of House A would be imposed on House B, with less electricity consuming capacity.

Leaders of Artisan groups including Chief Sunday Olasupo for Welders and Najeem Ibrahim for electricians lamented that many artisans had vacated the local government, while some had resulted to commercial motorcycling and services provided at higher cost in neighbouring communities with better supply due to the poor electricity.

They pledged to promptly remit their cost electricity supply if the company could ensure its stability.

Responding, the IBEDC regional manager in charge of Branding and Communication, Miss Kike Owoeye appealed to residents of the area, stating that only through a peaceful interaction could the problems be ascertained and solved.

Miss Owoeye said only 125 megawatts of energy was being allocated to Osun State,and which must be shared among all the Zones, including high energy consuming business and academic organisations.

The Technical Manager, Mr Peter Afolabi blamed the inadequate supply challenge on power generation in Nigeria, which he explained still stood at less than 4000 megawatts for a population of about 200 million.