Morganable News / Communities
Residents of Itesiwaju Omu Arogun near Mowe, Ogun State, have appealed for urgent intervention after spending more than 18 months without electricity.
LAGos—
Residents of Itesiwaju Omu Arogun near Mowe, Ogun State, have appealed for urgent intervention after spending more than 18 months without electricity.
The prolonged blackout has disrupted businesses, healthcare, education and other daily activities in the community, with some residents reportedly relocating to Lagos, Abeokuta and neighbouring areas in search of better living conditions.
Itesiwaju Omu Arogun Area Community Development Committee comprises several residential communities, including Graceland Estate, Graceland Community, Unity Estate Omu Arire, Ifesowapo, Leadway Estate and God’s Favour, as well as more than 50 other residences.
For residents, the electricity problem has moved beyond an inconvenience. They say the lack of reliable power has become a serious threat to livelihoods and has made it increasingly difficult for families and businesses to remain in the area.
Several businesses have reportedly closed because of the rising cost of alternative sources of electricity. Business owners who depend on equipment and regular power supply have had to rely on generators, adding to their operating expenses.
A fashion designer in the community, Kazeem Teniola, said the situation became so difficult that he moved his family to Bariga, Lagos, while leaving behind the house he built in the area.
Teniola said the poor electricity supply had affected his health and forced other residents to relocate as well. He questioned why the community was classified on Band B while residents continued to experience prolonged darkness.
According to the residents, the Owode Egba feeder supplies electricity to the area but does not receive enough power to meet the needs of the communities connected to it.
The District Manager of the Ashimolowo, Mowe/Ibafo Business Hub of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, Sanuth Haroun Oladipupo, acknowledged the electricity challenge in the area.
He explained that the Owode Egba feeder requires between 13 and 15 megawatts to adequately serve its customers. However, the feeder currently receives only about five to six megawatts from the Transmission Company of Nigeria.
As a result, residents say the available supply remains inadequate for the size and needs of the community.
The problem has also affected healthcare delivery. Dennis Obi, a matron at a hospital in the area, appealed to the Federal Government and the Ogun State Government to intervene.
Obi said the blackout was affecting hospitals, businesses and children’s education. For healthcare facilities, unreliable electricity can make it difficult to operate equipment and provide services effectively, especially when alternative power sources are expensive.
Students and families are also feeling the impact. Residents said children in the community have been affected in their ability to study and carry out activities that require electricity.
Meanwhile, the residents said they had previously petitioned the National Electricity Regulatory Commission in Abeokuta about the problem about three years ago.
They said the regulator directed IBEDC to address the electricity challenge and provide a step-down substation for the community. However, the residents alleged that the directive had not been implemented.
They are now asking NERC to enforce its directive and ensure that the community receives a more reliable electricity supply.
The residents are also calling on IBEDC management to provide the proposed step-down substation and improve power distribution in the area.
Beyond the issue of supply, some residents have raised concerns about the distribution of prepaid meters. They alleged that some IBEDC managers and marketers have been withholding meters and making them available to customers at their discretion.
The allegations have not been independently established, but the residents want the relevant authorities to investigate them and ensure transparency in the distribution process.
The community is also asking authorities to examine the wider conditions affecting electricity supply in the area rather than treating the blackout as a temporary problem.
For residents, regular electricity is closely connected to their ability to work, run businesses, access healthcare and keep their children engaged in school.
The prolonged outage has therefore created pressure across different parts of community life. As some businesses struggle and some families move away, residents fear that the area could lose more economic activity if the situation continues.
The situation also comes at a time when many households are already dealing with higher living and operating costs. For residents who use generators, the cost of fuel adds another burden to household and business expenses. Small business owners, in particular, may have little room to absorb those additional costs without increasing prices or reducing their operations.
For a growing community such as Itesiwaju Omu Arogun, residents believe dependable electricity is important for attracting businesses, supporting new investments and improving living conditions. They therefore want the authorities to consider the long-term development needs of the area as they work on the electricity challenge.
IBEDC has, however, indicated that efforts are being made to improve electricity supply. Oladipupo said his office and technical team would continue working to provide better service to the affected community.
Residents are now waiting to see the impact of those efforts.
For the people of Itesiwaju Omu Arogun, the demand is straightforward: they want the electricity problem addressed and the infrastructure needed to support reliable supply provided.
After more than 18 months of living with prolonged darkness, residents say they need action rather than further delays. They are urging the power authorities, the regulator and the government to work together to find a lasting solution.
Until that happens, the blackout remains more than a power problem for the community. It continues to affect livelihoods, healthcare, education and the ability of residents to build sustainable lives in the area.
