The management of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) has explained factors that contributed to the current state of poor power supply in the affected franchise, which includes Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Kwara and partly in Kogi, Niger and Ekiti states.

According to the Statement made available to Vanguard Correspondent in Ilorin on Sunday, one of the factors responsible for the poor state of power is an alarming upsurge in energy theft with over 1,450 identified cases of energy theft between January and February 2024.

It also identified incessant blackout in the affected areas which have resulted in disruptions and inconveniences for residents and businesses with many residents lamenting the effects of current heat waves on them due to lack of electricity.

IBEDC management also stated that “one of the primary factors is the low supply of gas to generating companies (Gencos) which has led to a gradual decrease in available generation into the grid.”

The statement added that this has significantly reduced the power available on the transmission grid for onward supply to IBEDC, and in turn, greatly hindered their ability to provide power to customers within our franchise, namely Oyo, Ogun, Osun, Kwara and partly in Kogi, Niger and Ekiti states.

“Secondly, scheduled maintenance activities conducted by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) in January and March, 2024 necessitated planned outages in specific areas of our network. While these measures are essential for ensuring the long-term reliability of electricity infrastructure, we recognize the inconvenience they may cause and sincerely apologize for any disruptions experienced by our customers.”

It also regretted that “vandalism and theft of electricity infrastructures and payment apathy from customers remains a major issue negatively impacting power supply.

“Despite these challenges, we remain optimistic that poor supply will soon become a thing of the past as Hon minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu has taken urgent steps to address the gas supply issue.

“On energy theft and vandalism, we are currently partnering with security agencies to reduce this vice, however, we urge our customers to remain vigilant, protect electrical infrastructures within their communities and report any suspicious activities promptly. We are implementing comprehensive measures to improve and strengthen our infrastructure in order to efficiently distribute the power we receive from the grid.

“We are also urgently exploring alternate sources of power to enable us meet the power supply needed within our franchise”, the statement added.