Craftsmen and small business owners in Osun, Ondo and Ekiti states have described as abysmal the recent services by the two franchise electricity companies—Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company and Benin Electricity Distribution Company—operating in the respective states.

In a survey conducted by journalists in the three states, respondents decried the irregular electricity supply by the discos, which they said had not only made life unbearable but had also adversely affected their vocations and businesses.

In Osun, the craftsmen and business owners said the unstable power supply had negatively affected their businesses and led to a loss of revenue, while some others said that out of frustration, they had to close their shops and businesses.

The respondents urged the Osun government to initiate independent power projects to remedy the irregular power supply by the electricity distribution company.

The Electricity Reform Act of 2005 paved the way for the unbundling of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria into 11 distribution companies, one transmission company and six generation companies in 2013.

 A barber, Rasheed Fadunsin, said that the unstable electricity supply was affecting his daily income.

Mr Fadunsin, who said that he now relied mostly on generators to power his equipment, said that buying fuel to do his business, considering the current pump price of between N600 and N650 per litre, was unprofitable.

Also, a welder,  Abdulsalam Rabiu, said that due to the unstable power supply in Osogbo, he could no longer meet his obligations to customers.

Mr Rabiu, who relies absolutely on power supply from IBEDC to do his work, said, “If nothing is done urgently, I might soon be forced out of business.”

Also, Opeyemi Odunayo, an iron bender in Ile-Ife, Osun State said the unstable power supply was affecting his work and daily income.
Mr Odunayo said that he hardly gets five hours of electricity in a day to do his work.

According to him, the increase in the pump price of petrol has also constrained him from using a generator for his business.

Mr Odunayo called on IBEDC to improve power supply to save small businesses from collapsing.

Similarly, Olayemi Williamson, a technical support specialist in Osogbo, said the power supply was not as good as it was in 2013.

“I did not need a generator in 2013. Up until 2020, light was almost constant. My wife then needed to turn off the freezer at home to get either chicken, fish or the like if she was planning to use it later in the day. But these days, we cannot boast of 12 to 14 hours of electricity supply and the cost of fuel is practically a no-go area,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kikelomo Owoeye, the IBEDC spokesperson in Osun State, said that the problem of unstable power supply to consumers was beyond the control of the distribution company.

Ms Owoeye listed some of the factors responsible for the recent poor electricity supply in the state, which include the low supply of gas to generating companies (Gencos), scheduled maintenance activities conducted by the Transmission Company of Nigeria, vandalism and theft of electricity infrastructure.

She said, “The primary factor is the low supply of gas to generating companies (Gencos), which has led to a gradual decrease in available generation for the grid. This has significantly reduced the power available on the transmission grid for onward supply to IBEDC and, in turn, greatly hindered our ability to provide power to customers within our franchise, Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Kwara and partly in Kogi, Niger and Ekiti states.

“Second, scheduled maintenance activities conducted by the Transmission Company of Nigeria in January and March 2024 necessitated planned outages in specific areas of our network.

“Furthermore, vandalism and theft of electricity infrastructure remain major issues negatively impacting power supply. An example is the unfortunate vandalism of TCN towers in Ogun State in May 2023, which resulted in over seven months of darkness for many of our valued customers.

“At IBEDC, we are particularly confronted with the escalating cases of vandalism, with over 40 incidents recorded in 2024 alone. The theft of valuable assets such as transformer oil, cables and aluminium conductors poses a significant challenge to our operations, as communities affected are thrown into extended periods of outage, depending on the severity of the act.

“Energy theft through illegal connections, metre bypass and illicit metres are also major issues affecting the adequate supply of power to customers because they result in revenue losses and liquidity problems for the electricity value chain.’’

Ms Owoeye said that the company had also noticed an alarming upsurge in energy theft, with over 1,450 identified cases of energy theft between January and February 2024.

She said another problem was customers’ apathy to pay for energy used, describing it as a major challenge to an adequate supply of power.

In Akure, an entrepreneur in the hospitality business, Femi Filegbe, decried the irregular power supply by BEDC, adding that he spends N30,000 per day to fuel his generator.

Mr Filegbe, who owns a guest house, said that to chill drinks and to keep guests satisfied when they lodge, he is forced to use a generator to power the facility.

“When Premium Motor Spirit was sold for N200, we could still manage and run the business without public electricity supply, but the situation is now worse since the removal of subsidy,” he said.

Similarly, Funmi Iyanda, a frozen food vendor, said she now uses her generator to power her freezer to preserve food items.

Ms Iyanda said that amid abysmal service, the discos at the end of every month still bring outrageous bills.

“So, I appeal to the Federal Government to help look into the situation,” she said.

A barber, Kingsley Olajide, said that most barbers now use rechargeable clippers because of the irregular power supply.

Mr Olajide said that he and others in the haircare service only put on their generators at night if there was no electric supply.

In the same vein, Bamidele Adebayo, the owner of a welding company on Airport Road, Oba-Ile in the Akure North Local Government Area, said that unsteady power supply in the country had killed the manufacturing industry and deprived the government of revenue.

He said that there had been no improvement in the power sector, even with the privatisation of PHCN.

Mr Adebayo, who said that he had been in the welding business for over two decades, explained that he intentionally did not connect to the public power supply in order not to disappoint his customers.

“I rely on a generator in my factory because I couldn’t pay what I was given as a bill in a month in spite of not receiving an electricity supply to work. It is not a comfortable situation whereby one is charged for what one didn’t use.

“If I pay and still run my generator to do my work, what is the point of connecting to the public electricity supply?” he queried.

Also in Ekiti, Morayo Adeniyi, a trader in Ado-Ekiti, decried the outrageous bill from Benin Electricity Distribution Company despite its abysmal service.

“I sell frozen foods. I sell different types of fish, chicken and turkey. When the irregular and sometimes low power supply adversely affected my business, I had to switch to solar energy at a high cost. When I estimated the funds I invested into installing the solar, it was about N2 million, but it is preferable to public power supply. Surprisingly, the distribution company still continues to bring bills that I did not consume,” she said.

Also, a hair salon operator, Janet Ajayi, has urged the Federal Government to compel BEDC to give out prepaid metres to residents and business owners to curtail the distribution of outrageous bills.

“If there is a regular power supply, it will ease my burden on fueling my generator,” she said.

Also, a resident of Ado-Ekiti, Adeniran Olotu, said that the Federal Government needed to improve the transmission and distribution networks for a more effective service.

He said the current transmission and distribution network in Nigeria was outdated and inefficient, which was the cause of the frequent power outages and voltage fluctuations.

Mr Olotu explained that investing in upgrading the network would help to improve the reliability and quality of the power supply.

According to him, investment in renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, is becoming increasingly affordable and efficient in other countries.

“If Nigeria can invest in these sources of energy, it would help to reduce her reliance on fossil fuels and improve its energy security. The government can also encourage private investment by creating a more favourable regulatory environment and providing financial incentives,” he said. 

(NAN)