The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) has restated its commitment to ensuring that customers in Lalupon community in Ibadan and its environs enjoy improved power supply.
The IBEDC Chief Technical Officer, Mr Akin Abiodun, stated this while addressing newsmen on Thursday in Ibadan.
Some youths from Lalupon community had, on Thursday, stormed the company’s office, with placards, to protest what they called epileptic power supply to the community.
Abiodun said that efforts at finding permanent solution to the epileptic power supply was underway, appealing for the understanding of the residents of the area.
He told them about the series of efforts which the company had making to address the power supply challenge.
According to him, “The Lalupon 33KV feeder is a leg on Adogba 33KV feeder from Ibadan North 132/33KV Transmission Substation, located at Sasa in Ojoo area.
“This feeder supplies electricity to Olodo, Lalupon, Iyana-Offa, Ejioku and Oyedeji communities. The same feeder, with a load demand of 27MW, also feeds Adogba and Akobo Injection Substations.
“The same injection substations are the ones feeding Iwo Road, Monatan, New Ife Road, Akobo Estate, Iyana Church and so on.
“Meanwhile, Adogba 33KV feeder is limited to 17MW, due to transformer limitation at the transmission station,’’ he explained
Abiodun further said that IBEDC management had, in response to the inherited albatross from the defunct PHCN, rehabilitated the Lalupon 33KV line by re-conducting and changing the failed components.
He said that IBEDC had also re-channeled 27 tee-offs from the line to new Asejire 33KV feeder to reduce the load on the Lalupon 33KV line.
“As part of remedies under proposal, IBEDC management plans to run a new 33KV line from Iwo Transmission Substation to Lalupon, thereby changing the source of supply from Ibadan North transmission substation to Iwo transmission substation.
“With this, we believe that the much-desired respite will be achieved. However, funding of the project, which hitherto had been hampering the execution, is now receiving priority attention.
“It is also planned that when this line is completed, an injection substation will be constructed at Lalupon to complement the line project,’’ he said.
Abiodun added that IBEDC, in collaboration with Oyo State government and Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), is working on having another 330/132/33KV Transmission Substation similar to that of Ayede at Egbeda area.
He, however, cautioned customers from Lalupon over what he called consistent rejection of their bills, apathy to payment and assault on their workers carrying out their lawful duties.
According to him, such attitude frustrates the company’s laudable business projections for Lalupon and its environs.
“This attitude is negative and counter-productive. We hereby appeal to the good people of Lalupon community to toe the path of peace and dialogue.
“For any relationship to thrive, it must be mutually beneficial. They should support IBEDC in permanently resolving the present power supply challenges in that area.
“The management of IBEDC is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that all issues, including the tariff-related one, are amicably and permanently resolved,’’ he said.
Earlier, Mr Lateef Olayiwola, a representative of the community, had said that the peaceful protest was to register their displeasure with the poor power supply to the area.
Olayiwola said that the community had been in darkness for more than eight years, appealing to IBEDC to find lasting solutions to the problem.
