Reps says over 1 million Nigerians in Magboro, Ibafo have not had electricity for 10 years

The House of Representatives on Wednesday directed the Ministry of Works/Power/Housing to urgently complete power projects in Magboro, Ibafo and 198 other communities in Ogun State with a view to linking the areas to the national grid.

It said the communities in Ibafo town in Obafemi Owode Local Government Area of the state, had more than one million inhabitants, but were left without electricity for “more than 10 years.”

It observed that lack of power supply had led to “paralysis of socio-economic activities, threats to lives and property and retarded growth in living standards, despite the people having spent millions of naira to purchase poles, transformers, cables and electrical appliances to enable them to be connected to the national grid.”

The House resolution was passed after a member from Ogun State, Mr. Mukaila Olayiwola-Kazzim, complained that none of the power contracts awarded in the affected communities had been completed.

While lamenting the plight of the communities, especially organisations that operated important business in Magboro, Olayiwola-Kazzim stated that the people expressed their frustration by protesting peacefully in Ibadan on March 6 at the office of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company.

He added that complaints and representations made to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission and the Independent Power Projects had not brought succour to the communities.

“The House is concerned that all the contracts awarded by the NIPP aimed at providing a lasting solution to the hardship have been abandoned by the contractors,” part of his motion read.

Wednesday’s session, which was presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Yussuff Lasun, also asked the House Committee on Power to monitor compliance and report back to the House within eight weeks.

The House specifically resolved that “the Federal Ministry of Works/Power/Housing should ensure the completion of all electrical projects that will facilitate the connection of Ibafo area to the national grid; and to also ensure that the IEDC provides electricity metres to Ibafo area without further delay.”