Ogun residents, students decry prolonged power outage

Residents and students of Ogun State say they have been living without stable electricity since 2024 without any explanation from their utility company, the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company.

From Abeokuta to Sagamu, Ipokia, Mowe-Ibafo, Ogun Waterside, Ijebu-Ode, Ilaro, Ado-Odo, and others, the complaints about blackouts continue with no end in sight.

In the state capital, residents said they endured months of darkness in 2024 with the hope that 2025 would be different.

However, the first quarter of 2025 has been another three months of darkness without any explanation for the cause.

A resident of the Onikolobo area of Abeokuta, Sulaimon Babs, decried the persistent blackout in the state capital, urging the government to do something about the situation.

“The last time we can say we enjoyed relative power supply was in 2023. From the beginning of 2024 to the second quarter, there was no stable electricity. Sometimes they would supply it for a few minutes, and we would not see it again for another five days. That was how we suffered in darkness throughout last year,” Babs lamented.

He continued, “Around July and August, there was a bit of improvement, but that did not last long before we went back to our old ways. It is shameful that the entire Abeokuta is in darkness; only a few places can say they enjoy a few hours of electricity daily. Even places that used to record stable power supply now complain of darkness: This is not good.”

A student of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic who identified herself simply as Keji said students in Abeokuta have been struggling with what she called extremely poor power supply.

According to her, students in various tertiary institutions now hire power banks to charge their phones.

Keji explained that some individuals have seized the power problem to make money by giving out power banks to interested persons for N600.

She said, “The suffering is too much. We now pay N600 daily to rent power banks because we want to charge phones, yet the IBEDC will still bring bills monthly. Sometimes they give us light for five hours in one week. Those business centres now buy fuel to charge power banks which we rent for N600 daily. This does not make sense. Students are suffering; the government or whoever is concerned should do something.

“The power minister said generations had increased, but that’s not reflected in the power supply.”

Our correspondents gathered from residents across the state that there has been a sharp drop in power supply since the end of 2024.

Many of the customers said the DisCo now prioritised a few Band A areas in the state, leaving others in darkness.

As the first quarter of 2023 ends in a few days, the people of Ogun hope for an improved power supply in the second quarter of 2025.

Meanwhile, the Ibadan DisCo kept mum when our correspondent contacted it for its reactions.

A company spokesperson, Angela Olanrewaju, ignored messages sent to her by our correspondent on Monday.

However, an official of the company blamed low allocation for the poor power supply in the Gateway State.

When he was sworn in for a second term, Governor Dapo Abiodun promised Ogun residents a stable power supply, but that is yet to show any sign of reality after close to two years.

However, the state has got the approval of the Nigerian Electricity Distribution Company to generate, distribute, and regulate electricity within its territory.

Recently, Abiodun disclosed that the state is considering taking over the nine-megawatt hydropower plant located within the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority.

He said taking over the hydropower plant would boost his administration’s plan to improve power supply across the state.

The governor said the 9 MW hydropower plant would be merged with the 30-megawatt power plant in Onijanganjangan, which, being gas-fired, would ensure the state has the right energy mix.