Lalupon is a community on the outskirts of Ibadan, located in Lagelu Local Government Area of Oyo State. Farming is the main occupation of majority of the residents of this rustic community.
The community is gaining the reputation of a forlorn and derelict area as a result of long years of darkness. Residents of the area have never enjoyed electricity since the past eight years, thereby stunting socio-economic growth and development.
Sit out protest
Worried about the unsavoury situation, the residents, including senior citizens, elders, community leaders, traders, artisans and children in the community staged a protest to express their anger. They carried placards on which their views were emblazoned. The protest was also a showcase to draw the attention of concerned stakeholders to their plight.
Some of the placards read “Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) is cheating us in Lalupon”, “Ibadan, Lalupon/Iwo Road Feeder”, “No light in Lalupon Community since 2010”, “We say no to darkness in Lalupon feeder”, “We say no to estimated bills on Lalupon Feeder”, “We can’t pay for what we don’t use”, “we are tired of paying our neighbours’ bills.” “They are using the electricity and we are paying their bills”, and “we need pre-paid metres to avoid cheating”, among others.
Affected communities
About 20 towns, over 80 villages and a population of more than two million, represented by over 400 zones from Iyana Church, Kute, Olodo, Jinarere, Ebenezery, Olotu, Maku, Ajia and Amosun were affected in the ugly era of darkness.
Other affected zones include Wakajaye, Olodo, Kumapayi, Jenrinyin, Oke Omi, Adeleye, Erunmu, Lalupon, Ejioku, Iyana Offa, Lagun, Apateere, Oyedeji, Adewumi, Olubonku, Ataari and Igbo Elerin.
The Anger
They are angry with the Federal Government, the Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, the Oyo State government and the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) for causing them to be in total darkness in the past eight years despite government’s efforts at increasing and improving electricity generation across the country.
They were concerned about power supply to the affected communities, the bills and billing system and the issue of pre-paid meters for the residents.
To the protesters, connecting the communities to the Iwo transmission station could have solved the problems permanently.
Efforts
According to the protesters, some efforts made by the residents in the past to proffer lasting solution include several letters written to the representatives of the people at the National Assembly and State House of Assembly which yielded no results.
In addition, they embarked on self-help project by carrying out electrification projects in all the communities. They procured electricity materials which cost them about N100 million, yet the problem of darkness persisted.
Aside from writing to Governor Abiola Ajimobi who directed the Rural Electrification Board to carry out the survey of connecting the communities to the Iwo Transmission Station, another letter was also written to the Minister of Power on the issue, with an appeal to re-visit the transmission station approved for the communities when the Ibadan Dry Port Project was approved.
Groans and pains
Expectedly, the residents are worried that the situation has led to the closing down of all the foreign companies transacting businesses in the community, while those still operating are doing so at far below production capacity with more adverse effects on the occupational engagements of the people residing in the communities.
Some of the companies that are operating below capacity, according to the residents include Leyland Motors which they claimed is operating at less than 10 per cent, ARCEDEM Nigeria Gas Cylinder, Ejioku, Atlantic Carpet, Olodo with Air Force Comprehensive Secondary School, Iyana Offa running more on generators and solar energy. Representatives of the school and the affected companies were also part of the protest.
Traders and artisans operating in the communities expressed their grief as their means of livelihood are gradually dwindling.
Okelade Alabi, a hairstylist, said his profession is really suffering because they don’t have the power to work with. He noted that it is daily becoming difficult to feed the family and survive.
Adegbemisoye Bamidele who resides in Ejioku noted that many of the artisans have already diverted to motorcycle operator with many venturing into crimes and criminal tendencies to make ends meet.
Adefunke Olaogun, a hairdresser said the blackout has resulted in her not only losing many customers but also potential apprentices. She complained that she resorted to plaiting hair because many of the customers always find it difficult to pay high charges which result from use of power generating set to do their hair.
“It’s really affecting us because we don’t make sales anymore. There’s no light to carry out washing and setting of customers’ hairs. Even if they retouch their hairs, they will carry it home like that because there is no light to dry them”, she said.
Taiwo Quadri, a tailor lamented that all his electricity-powered machines had been rendered unworkable in the last couple of years as he could not sustain the cost of running power generating set always. He added that ironing out his customers’ clothes has also become a major challenge as he now relied on charcoal iron, which often times affect the quality of the cloths, and which has, in turn, affected patronage.
A retired Airforce Warrant Officer, Waheed Atanda, who started a business of selling electrical fittings and appliances with his pension allowances, said his business has grounded as a result of the power failure. He noted that he regretted venturing into the business because of what had befallen him.
Ahmadu Emiola, a welder and Akinwale Abideen, a table water producer said the power cut has made cost of production high.
One thing peculiar to all the artisans and traders was that the cost of running a business in the communities is so high; hence many of the clients patronise those in the neighbouring communities.
The protesters also expressed their worry that many youths are already leaving the affected communities for elsewhere.
On the contrary
But the electricity distribution company in the area sees the issues differently. Mr Frank Williams, IBEDC spokesperson disagreed that it’s been up to eight years that the communities last enjoyed electricity, pointing out that Lalupon is a very lengthy feeder which would require about 30 megawatts of electricity which he described as a “huge quantum of energy from what we get from the national grid.
“We can’t run that length at a stretch, so we have to take it gradually. That is one of the challenges we inherited from the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN). That Lalupon end is a bleeding point for us. We don’t make any money from there; we record losses. Lalupon, in terms of business, has not been encouraging. We understand the fact that people need to enjoy electricity but we have to appreciate the fact that we also have to buy this energy.
“We entered an agreement with them to take it in phases from one end to the other but we cannot guarantee to do the entire length at a stretch because of the limitations that we have. There is the need for contractors to begin to strengthen the feeder. Those talking about 2014 will be those at the tail end of the community, around Iwo. It will cost a lot of millions to back feed from the Iwo transmission station. Lalupon is important for us because it has good potential.
“Before, it used to be two hours and it has now increased to five hours. But we have not got the commensurate energy from that supply. It has been losses upon losses. We are working on how they can get an average of five to eight hours now. It is not just connecting people to the Iwo transmission station. We have to consider technical issues. We have to build a sub-station, run a feeder pillar and some length of poles and retention feeder,” he said.
On metering, Williams, who described it as a national problem said “Nigeria is still grossly underdeveloped. We have the metering plan of five to 10 years but the exchange rate has made nonsense of various plans. We have to review a lot of things, even government policies. The tariff is still not at a cost-effective rate the way it is run. We will provide meters but this comes at a cost, we are losing.
“Even the few energy given to Lalupon, we are not getting 50 per cent commensurate in revenue. It is discouraging.