Forty communities in Osogbo, Osun State capital under the aegis of United Communities, have accused the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company of intimidation and misinformation over their demand for a constant power supply.
The communities while addressing pressmen at the palace of the Ataoja of Osogbo on Thursday, said they had earlier during a peaceful protest issued a seven-day ultimatum to the management of IBEDC to address the worsening electricity supply in their areas.
They, however, claimed that the situation has deteriorated further within the last seven days, adding that power supply to their communities has gone from bad to worse.
The text of the address signed by the chairman of the group, Mr Sulaiman Buruji and read by Dr Nasiru Mohammed, said the IBEDC had submitted a petition to the Department of State Services (DSS), Osun State Command, alleging that the peaceful protest organised by the communities was
violent and that their staff members were harassed.
The community said contrary to the IBEDC claims, the protest was organised peacefully and lawfully under the watch of the Nigeria Police Force.
“Today marks the expiration of that seven-day ultimatum. Sadly, instead of improvement, the situation has deteriorated further. Within the last seven days, power supply to our communities has gone from bad to worse. In many areas across the affected communities, residents have received less than nine (9) hours of electricity in total throughout the entire seven-day period.
“Rather than address this critical issue, it has come to the attention of the leadership of the United
Communities that IBEDC has chosen a different path, a path of intimidation, misinformation, and
distraction.
“We have reliable information that IBEDC has submitted a petition to the Department of State Services (DSS), Osun State Command, alleging that the peaceful protest organised by our communities was violent and that their staff members were harassed.
“We wish to state clearly, unequivocally, and without reservation that this allegation is false. The protest organised by the United Communities was peaceful, disciplined, and lawful. It was properly
coordinated and conducted under the watch of the Nigeria Police Force who escorted the procession throughout the exercise. At no point was there violence, harassment, or destruction of property,” the communities noted.
The communities further alleged IBEDC of attempting to suppress their voices rather than resolving the electricity crisis confronting them, adding that the petition to the DSS was a deliberate attempt to intimidate law-abiding citizens who are simply demanding fairness, transparency, and equitable electricity distribution.
“Therefore, the attempt by IBEDC to portray this legitimate civic action as violent is not only misleading but deeply unfortunate. It suggests that the company is more interested in suppressing the voices of affected communities than in resolving the electricity crisis confronting them,” the communities added.
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