By oladipo Oluwatosin
ATAN/OTA, OGUN STATE — Tensions between electricity consumers and the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) reached a boiling point as residents of Atan and surrounding communities staged a massive, peaceful protest over systemic service failures, erratic power supply, and arbitrary billing practices.
Led by Chief Comrade Emmanuel Abatan, former Chairman of the Atan Area Community Development Committee (ACDC), Chairman of of the Atan Police-Community Relations Committee (PCRC) alongside Otunba Sunday Olatunji, current chairman, Atan ACDC ), disgruntled residents marched on IBEDC distribution offices in both Atan and Iyana-Ota to demand an end to what they termed "average spending billing" and "estimated board billing."
Escalation After Failed Dialogue
Addressing IBEDC officials during the demonstration, Comrade Abatan revealed that the protest marked the third phase of the community's agitation. Prior efforts—including formal invitations for dialogue and multiple written petitions sent to the local distribution company—yielded no tangible results.
Protesters carried placards bearing strong inscriptions such as:
"No More Average Spending Billing"
"Give Us Prepaid Meters"
"We Are Paying for Blackouts, Not Electricity"
"No More Estimated Board Billing"
The atmosphere grew charged at the Atan IBEDC office when responses from the local Distribution Transformer Manager (DTM), Alhaji Olatunji, failed to satisfy the crowd. Community leaders sharply criticized his explanations as attempts to defend systemic flaws with administrative excuses.
In a firm declaration, community representatives warned IBEDC personnel against interfering with local power infrastructure:
"If any IBEDC official climbs a pole or visits any transformer purchased through the hard-earned money of this community without resolving these issues, they will face stiff resistance."
Strategic Shift to Ota Distribution Office
Seeking higher-level intervention, the protest moved to the IBEDC Ota Distribution Office, where the operational contrast in crisis management became evident. The Technical Manager (TM) and Business Manager (BM) received the delegation directly, listening to the community's grievances and addressing key concerns point-by-point.
During the meeting, Comrade Abatan emphasized that host communities should be treated as partners in progress rather than mere consumers, noting that residents regularly fund critical infrastructure—including poles, cables, and transformers—that state institutions and utility providers fail to provide.
IBEDC Explains Grid Constraints and Meter Rollout
Responding to the community's demands, the Technical Manager outlined the technical and operational challenges currently affecting power supply across the zone:
Prepaid Meter Allocation: The official explained that meter distribution prioritized high-yield feeders under Band A and Band B. With Band A complete and Band B nearly finished, metering efforts are moving toward Bands C and E, which cover the Atan axis. Residents who cannot wait for free distribution may opt for self-funded metering under approved framework schemes, where costs are reimbursed over time via energy credits.
National Grid Capacity Deficit: Irregular supply stems directly from frequent national grid collapses and severe generation limits. Nigeria operates on an average output of roughly 4,000 Megawatts for a growing population, forcing distribution companies to implement strict load shedding.
Local Allocation Limits: The entire Atan zone receives an allocation of approximately 12 Megawatts, which must be rotated across seven feeder switches to distribute power among adjacent neighborhoods.
Infrastructure Deficits: The TM admitted that macro-economic pressures often force utilities to rely on community assistance for hardware procurement, though it remains legally the provider's responsibility.
Future Outlook: Relief is tied to the completion of the power infrastructure project facilitated by Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola (Yayi). Once operational, Atan, Agbara, and neighboring communities are expected to migrate to higher-tier service bands.
The Way Forward
To resolve the impasse, prevent future civil unrest, and establish a transparent operational framework between IBEDC and the Atan community, both parties must commit to the following structured measures:
1. Immediate Suspension of Arbitrary Estimated Billing
IBEDC should immediately freeze unmetered estimated billing calculations across Atan communities and transition unmetered customers to capped energy caps aligned with actual feeder supply hours, in accordance with Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) guidelines.
2. Acceleration of Feeder Substation Metering
IBEDC engineers must audit and repair all functional meter-reading instruments installed at distribution transformers. This will allow community representatives and utility officers to verify energy consumption accurately before bills are generated.
3. Priority Prepaid Meter Rollout Plan
A clear, time-bound deployment timeline for prepaid meters must be published specifically for Bands C and E within the Atan jurisdiction. For residents electing to purchase meters independently, IBEDC must guarantee an automated, transparent credit-refund mechanism on subsequent energy purchases.
4. Establishment of a Joint Monitoring Committee
A standing consultative committee—comprising executives from the Atan ACDC, and IBEDC management—should meet monthly to review power allocation fairness, investigate allegations of power diversion to commercial entities, and address infrastructure maintenance needs.
5. Expedited Completion of Regional Transmission Projects
Relevant state authorities, federal power agencies, and community stakeholders should collaborate to fast-track the completion and commissioning of the Yayi-facilitated power project, boosting supply capacity from the current 12MW ceiling to meet the industrial and residential demands of the Atan-Agbara corridor.
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