Residents of Oke-Eso, Iroye, and a part of the Igbaye communities have decried contributing funds to repair faulty transformers after wallowing in darkness for four days.
According to findings, the only transformer serving over 100 residential houses, including shops and firms, in each community is faulty, resulting in the collapse of businesses.
The transformer is barely a few meters away from the old building that housed UNIQ 103.1 fm/Freedom TV before the media setup moved to their permanent site.
When WITHIN NIGERIA visited the three communities, namely, Iroye, Oke-Esho, and Igbaye, Igbaye, this reporter interacted with some residents who complained bitterly about the situation. They also claimed that community leaders are asking residents to contribute money for IBEDC officials to fix the faulty transformer.
A 45-year-old man identified as Ayinde told WITHIN NIGERIA that he and his family have been badly affected by an electricity outage because it has ruined their family business, laundry.
According to Ayinde, many customers have expressed their disappointment and vowed not to patronize them again because they could not deliver their clothes as expected.
Ayinde, who works from home in Oke-Esho, disclosed that there are several clothes he has washed but is patiently waiting for electricity to iron these clothes.
I would have bought petrol to power my generator, but a liter of petrol is now 1000. If I use N1000 to buy petrol, would my customers accept a new fee that reflects such? A worried Ayinde asked.
While disclosing a temporary solution he had figured out to meet the deadline of his angry customers, Ayinde lamented that it has come with a cost in terms of money and stress.
“I have packed some clothes to my friend’s house in Ijebu-Jesa. I would go to his house to iron these clothes, but I noticed that his wife is not happy with the situation. I do not want to cause marital issues between my friend and his wife, but I have no choice, a father of four cried out.
A 35-year-old woman identified as Adesewa told WITHIN NIGERIA that the electricity outage is threatening her business. Sewa, who claimed she suffered losses during the outage, disclosed that her sales have reduced drastically.
“I sell frozen foods and cold drinks. People come to my shop to buy chicken, turkey, and cold drinks. I have not earned a single Kobo since the outage. I come to work every day with high hopes that electricity will be restored, she narrated....Read Full Article [Click Here>]
When asked if she had paid for a monetary contribution to fix the faulty transformer, Sewa disclosed that she had happily paid the sum of N500 allocated for every residential building in the community.
“I have been begging them to pay the money. Some people have paid while others have not, citing the harsh economy as an excuse. Some residents have decided not to pay a kobo. They said fixing faulty transformers should be the duty or responsibility of the holding company, not residents, she further explained.
Sanmi, a 27-year-old entrepreneur, while conversing with WITHIN NIGERIA, stated that residents should not be the ones contributing money to fix transformers.
“IBEDC is like MTN, GLO, and other big firms. People buy cards like electricity tariffs. If consumers don’t repair MTN or GLO masts, residents should not fix faulty transformers or electric poles, among others. It is an abuse, and we must not allow it to thrive, a visibly angry Sanmi said.
According to Sanmi, discomfort and losses recorded by traders pushed some residents to contribute the funds.
While vowing not to pay a dime, Sanmi claimed that IBEDC is taking advantage of people’s pain, discomfort, and ignorance by not fixing the faulty transformer in time.
IBEDC officials knew that people would gather funds to fix the faulty transformer because they would not want to be in discomfort. That is why they did not bother to fix it, he further claimed.
Mama Ope, a resident of Oke-Esho, told WITHIN NIGERIA that she has no money to pay because she’s surviving in debts.
According to Mama Ope, she cannot struggle to feed her family and is still looking for money to fix the transformer.
Mama Ope, a single mother of five, said that residents should not be responsible for fixing faulty transformers.
As at the time of publication, the faulty transformer has been fixed by IBEDC officials after residents contributed funds for the repair.
