Tension flared in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, on Wednesday as residents staged a protest at the Osun Regional Office of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), condemning what they described as persistent poor electricity supply in several communities.
The protesters, drawn from different parts of the city, converged on Oke Baale and marched through the Station Road axis before gathering at the IBEDC office located off Station Road.
Security presence around the facility was heightened as heavily armed operatives were deployed to prevent a breakdown of law and order while the demonstrators sang solidarity songs and demanded an immediate improvement in electricity supply to their communities.
During the protest, the residents issued a seven-day ultimatum to IBEDC, demanding that their communities be restored to Band A classification. They warned that failure to meet the demand could lead to further lawful collective actions, including restricting operational access for IBEDC personnel within the affected areas.
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Akeem Badmus said the demonstration was organised under the platform of the United Communities.
He explained that representatives from several affected areas had earlier met on February 28, 2026, to deliberate on the worsening electricity situation.
According to him, communities represented at the meeting included Owo-Eba, Garage Ilesa, Tara, the Oke-Baale axis, the OSBC area, the UNIOSUN axis, the Air Force Base, Army Depot, Boredun, Coker, Odu, Omu and other neighbouring districts.
Reading from a letter of complaint jointly signed by Sulaiman Buruji (Chairman, United Communities), Atoyebi Akeem, Adebayo Oladepo and Oseni Abidemi, Badmus stated that residents had experienced severe electricity shortages since their reclassification from Bands A and B to Band C.
He noted that the electricity supply to the communities had fallen far below the minimum standard stipulated under the Electricity Distribution Service Reflective Tariff framework.
“Contrary to the framework which requires a minimum of 12 to 16 hours of electricity daily for Band C customers, our communities barely receive an average of four hours per day. In some cases, entire days pass without any electricity supply,” Badmus said.
The letter also referred to circulating allegations that electricity meant for the communities was being diverted and sold to the highest bidder, though the protesters acknowledged that they could not independently verify the claims.
Badmus said the persistent outages had severely affected households and businesses, with many small-scale enterprises struggling to remain operational.
He added that the Osun State Broadcasting Corporation had reportedly been transmitting for less than six hours daily due to inadequate electricity supply.
Responding to the protesters, the Osun Regional Head of IBEDC, Ifeanyi Ikeji, explained that the affected communities were downgraded from Band A because the company could not consistently meet the minimum supply hours required under the classification.
According to him, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) is responsible for approving any reclassification of electricity supply bands.
“As of today, the cost of electricity is close to N128. I would prefer to sell to you under Band A because we are in business. But moving customers to Band A does not depend solely on the IBEDC. The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission is the body that approves such reclassification,” Ikeji said.
He further explained that Band A customers are expected to receive up to 20 hours of electricity supply daily, a level the company has been unable to maintain for the affected areas.
“When we placed you on Band A and we were not meeting the required hours, I felt it was unfair to keep you on that band. That was what led to the downgrade. I apologise if residents were not fully aware of the reason for the change,” he added.
On the demand for a return to Band A classification, Ikeji said the company was willing to review the situation once power supply improves.
“It is my desire to return you to Band A, but the current power constraints will not allow it. Immediately the situation improves, you will be moved back,” he said.
Despite the explanation, the protesters insisted that the distribution company must address their grievances within the seven-day deadline.
