Adebayo Adenrele
The Ijero-Ekiti Youth Development Forum (IYDF) has called for urgent government and regulatory intervention over the prolonged and discriminatory electricity supply to Ijero-Ekiti, alleging that residents of the town currently receive less than two hours of power supply in an entire week.
The Forum, in a statement signed by its Director of Communications and Media, Fisayo Ojaoba and issued on behalf of youths, elders and residents of Ijero Kingdom, accused the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) of leaving the community in prolonged darkness despite the significant improvements in electricity supply to other towns within the same distribution network in Ekiti State.
According to the IYDF, while some neighbouring communities within the state are reportedly enjoying between 18 and 24 hours of electricity daily, Ijero-Ekiti has been left with barely two hours of supply per week.
The Forum said the situation had persisted for years, describing it as more than a conventional power outage or load-shedding challenge.
Speaking on the issue, IYDF President, John Afolabi, said the residents of Ijero-Ekiti should not be treated differently from other electricity consumers, stressing that residents pay electricity bills and taxes and deserve access to public infrastructure.
The statement read in part, “The people of Ijero-Ekiti are not second-class citizens. They pay their electricity bills. They pay their taxes. They are entitled to the same national infrastructure that other Nigerians receive.
“What is happening to Ijero-Ekiti is not a power outage. It is not load shedding. It is a sustained, years-long allocation decision that has left our community in the dark while other communities nearby live in the light. We will no longer accept silence on this matter.
“This is not a question of infrastructure alone. It is a question of justice. The same national grid that sends twenty-four hours of electricity to another town sends two hours a week to Ijero-Ekiti. Someone made that allocation decision. Someone can change it. We are here to demand that they do.
“Darkness is neutral to social status or age; it affects every home, hospital and business”.
