Morganable News / Communities
Residents of Igboora, Ayete, Tapa and Igangan in Oyo State have raised concerns over years of poor electricity supply and its effect on businesses, schools, healthcare and community development.
Lagos —
For residents of some communities in Oyo State, darkness has become part of everyday life.
People living in Igboora, Ayete, Tapa and Igangan in the Ibarapa region say they have endured years of irregular electricity supply, with some describing the situation as a near-decade-long blackout.
The prolonged power crisis has affected several parts of community life. Businesses struggle to operate, students find it difficult to study, healthcare facilities face challenges and residents say the lack of electricity has slowed development across the area.
In Igboora, residents say the situation has become especially difficult for businesses that depend on electricity to operate.
A civil servant and indigene of the community, Olaoye Emmanuel Olatayo, said electricity supply had been unreliable for years. He added that some residents had been forced to move their businesses away from the community because they could no longer cope with the situation.
According to him, the absence of regular electricity has made it difficult for people to establish and maintain businesses in the area.
This has also affected artisans and small business owners who depend on electricity for their daily activities. For many of them, generators and other alternatives come with additional costs, making it harder to remain profitable.
Beyond businesses, residents say the power crisis has affected education.
Prince Tayo Akinyemi, another resident of Igboora, said students had spent years studying with torchlights and candles because of the poor electricity supply.
He also raised concerns about the effect on healthcare, saying hospitals in the area had struggled to operate without reliable electricity.
For a community that needs functioning schools, businesses and health facilities, residents believe the prolonged power shortage has become more than an inconvenience. They say it has become a major development challenge.
Residents Turn to Self-Help
As the power crisis continued, residents said they had made several efforts to improve the situation themselves.
According to Akinyemi, community members have contributed money to repair and replace vandalised electricity cables and equipment. However, these efforts have not produced a lasting solution.
Residents also pointed to vandalism and theft of electricity infrastructure as factors that have made the situation worse.
Some electricity poles and cables serving the communities have reportedly been damaged or stolen. Residents say the location of some infrastructure has also made it difficult to monitor and protect them.
Meanwhile, people who can afford alternative energy sources have increasingly turned to solar power and generators.
In Tapa, Oke Wasiu, Chief Executive Officer of Pattern Water Solution, said residents had also endured inadequate electricity for more than a decade.
He said the lack of reliable power had affected development and left residents with little choice but to rely on self-help.
However, alternative power sources are not affordable for everyone. For low-income households and small businesses, the cost of purchasing fuel, generators or solar equipment can place additional pressure on already limited incomes.
Roads Add to Residents’ Concerns
The electricity crisis is not the only issue affecting the communities.
Aliu Kewulere Mukaram, President of the Ayete Progressive Union, said the prolonged blackout had affected Ayete, Tapa, Igangan and surrounding communities.
He said residents had made efforts to engage the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company and other relevant authorities over the situation.
Mukaram also raised concerns about the condition of roads linking some of the communities. He alleged that heavy-duty trucks transporting materials from quarry sites had contributed to the deterioration of some roads.
This means residents are dealing with several infrastructure challenges at the same time.
Poor electricity supply makes business difficult, while poor roads can make movement and transportation more challenging. Together, residents say these problems are limiting economic activities and slowing development.
IBEDC Begins Rehabilitation
The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, however, says work is already underway to address the electricity challenge.
Angela Olanrewaju, IBEDC’s Coordinating Head of Corporate Services, attributed the poor supply partly to infrastructure limitations affecting the Ibarapa axis.
She said the company had started rehabilitation and restoration work on the affected network. The company is also carrying out vegetation management as part of efforts to improve network reliability.
According to IBEDC, the Federal Government, through the Rural Electrification Agency, is undertaking Phase 1 rehabilitation of the Eruwa-Igboora network.
The company also pointed to planned transmission infrastructure being developed by the Transmission Company of Nigeria.
The proposed projects include the Maya and Igangan 132/33kV substations and the Igboora switching station. IBEDC said the projects are expected to address some of the structural challenges affecting electricity supply in the area when completed.
The company explained that the Ibarapa axis largely depends on a long radial supply network. This, it said, contributes to voltage limitations, technical losses and prolonged outages, particularly in communities located at the end of the network.
IBEDC also apologised to residents and businesses affected by the prolonged outage and said it was working with government agencies and other stakeholders to improve electricity supply.
Communities Await Lasting Solution
For residents, the ongoing interventions offer hope, but they want the work to translate into regular electricity.
The communities have already spent years adapting to life without reliable power. Businesses have had to find alternatives, students have relied on rechargeable lamps and other sources of light, while some residents have invested in solar systems.
Residents are therefore calling for sustained action rather than temporary repairs.
For Igboora, Ayete, Tapa and Igangan, reliable electricity would mean more than light in homes. It could support businesses, improve learning conditions, strengthen healthcare services and create a better environment for investment.
As rehabilitation work continues, residents will be watching closely to see whether the planned interventions finally bring an end to years of unreliable electricity across the Ibarapa communities.
