The Oyo State House of Assembly has strongly condemned the persistent electricity outages in Ibarapaland, describing the situation as unacceptable and economically crippling, while calling for immediate federal intervention to end what lawmakers termed nearly 15 years of darkness in the zone.
The resolution followed a motion moved by the Speaker, Adebo Ogundoyin, and supported by the lawmaker representing Ibarapa North/Central State Constituency, Peter Ojedokun.
Presenting the motion during plenary, Ojedokun lamented the prolonged power outages affecting Ibarapa East, Ibarapa North and Ibarapa Central Local Government Areas, stressing that residents and businesses have suffered severe losses due to unreliable electricity supply.
Lawmakers expressed deep dissatisfaction with the performance of the Federal Ministry of Power under the leadership of Adebayo Adelabu, accusing the Minister of failing to provide sustainable solutions despite being an indigene of Oyo State.
They described the situation as socially disruptive and economically damaging, arguing that poor leadership and ineffective policy implementation have left many communities in near-total darkness.
Hon. Gbenga Oyekola, contributing to the debate, said families, students, traders and small business owners are bearing the brunt of the crisis. Several members also decried the financial burden on residents who rely heavily on generators while still facing inflated and estimated electricity bills for supply they hardly receive.
The Assembly emphasized that while the motion focused on Ibarapa, other zones across Oyo State experiencing similar electricity challenges must also benefit from federal government intervention.
Lawmakers insisted that the welfare of the entire state should be considered in any remedial action.
Consequently, the House urged the Executive arm of government, through the Oyo State Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, to engage the Federal Ministry of Power and other relevant agencies to fast track the completion and commissioning of proposed substations in Ibarapaland. It also called for urgent assessment, rehabilitation and upgrade of transmission and distribution infrastructure serving the zone, including feeders and transformers.
The Assembly further directed the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) to review its billing practices in Ibarapa and other affected areas, discontinue arbitrary and estimated billing where supply is non-existent, and ensure customers are billed strictly for electricity consumed in line with regulations.
In addition, lawmakers appealed to the Federal Government, through the National Rural Electrification Board, to prioritize Ibarapa Zone in its rural electrification and grid expansion programmes, particularly communities that have remained without power for over a decade.
The House mandated its Committee on Energy to interface with relevant state and federal authorities and report back within four weeks on concrete steps taken to restore stable electricity supply.
In his closing remarks, Speaker Ogundoyin maintained that the Assembly’s action was not politically motivated but driven by the need to ensure accountability and protect the welfare of Oyo State residents who have endured years of power shortages.
