Some residents of Osogbo, the Osun state capital on Wednesday staged a peaceful protest to the regional office of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) over alleged recent band downgrade and epileptic power supply to the area.
VIDEO: Osogbo residents storm IBEDC office over epileptic power supply.#Piers #SeyiTinubu #ChiomaandDavido #Iran #IranIsraelWar pic.twitter.com/XOPGeWtrTq
— NewsClick Nigeria Media (@NewsClickng) March 4, 2026
According to the protesters, the poor service supply has remained stagnant despite their endless calls to officials of IBEDC for improvement. The protesters in their hundreds said representatives from all the affected areas including Oke-Baale, OSBC, UNIOSUN, Akede, Owo-Eba, Ilesa-Garage, Tara, Air Force Base, Army Depot, Boredun, Coker, Odu and Omu all joined the protest to drive home their demand for improved power supply.
Carrying placards with inscriptions such as “We can’t be paying for darkness,” “Our businesses are dying,” and “Bring back our light,” the protesters demanded immediate improvement in electricity supply.
Addressing IBEDC officials on behalf of the protesters, a man who identified himself as Badmus Akeem said the crisis worsened after the affected communities were downgraded from Band A to Band C starting that the company has now introduced preferential treatments in the supply favouring only the elites in some parts of the town.
He alleged that since the reclassification, residents had struggled to receive up to four hours of electricity daily, contrary to the minimum 12 hours stipulated under the band classification system.
“The impact of this epileptic power supply has been devastating. Residents are experiencing severe hardship, small-scale businesses are on the verge of collapse, and corporate institutions are significantly affected,” Akeem said.
He cited the Osun State Broadcasting Corporation as one of the institutions affected, alleging that it now transmits for less than six hours daily due to inadequate electricity supply.
The protesters demanded that all communities under their umbrella be restored to Band A within seven days and called on IBEDC to urgently address the supply shortfall in line with the stipulated minimum hours per band.
They warned that failure to meet the demand within the ultimatum period could lead to lawful collective actions, including reconsidering operational access for IBEDC personnel in the affected areas.
I relocated from Lagos to Osun because of stable power supply but now regretting – Resident
I relocated to @InsideOsogbo specifically because of stable electricity. That was the main reason.
I work remotely. Lagos was expensive, overcrowded, and honestly unnecessary if I’m not going to an office. So I came to Osogbo because it’s peaceful, affordable, and most… https://t.co/r9dinOY9rW
— MØZ¥P€LL¥🧑🏻💻🥷🏼 (@mozypellyXP) March 4, 2026
Meanwhile, a resident who joined the protest virtually (online) has narrated how he relocated from Lagos to Osogbo because of the relatively stable power supply and affordable lifestyle only to be met few months after by epileptic supply. The resident who vented his frustrations on the microblogging platform, X (formerly Twitter) said as he remote worker who relies heavily on power consumption to keep his gadgets running now run his generating set almost on a 24-hour basis.
“I relocated to @InsideOsogbo specifically because of stable electricity. That was the main reason. I work remotely. Lagos was expensive, overcrowded, and honestly unnecessary if I’m not going to an office. So I came to Osogbo because it’s peaceful, affordable, and most importantly, steady power supply.
“Many people that I know did the same thing. We moved here because what’s the point of paying crazy Lagos rent when you can live in a calmer place with good electricity and do your remote work comfortably?
Now? The situation is completely different.
“Burning fuel on generator EVERY DAY now. No light. The last time I traveled for just 3 days, everything in my freezer spoiled. Everything. Three days!
This is frustrating beyond words. The one advantage Osogbo had – stable power is gone. Now we’re suffering just like everywhere else in Nigeria, but we can’t even benefit from Lagos opportunities since we’re not there.
“IBEDC has destroyed the main reason people chose to live and work in @InsideOsogbo. We came here to escape generator life. Now we’re running generators more than we ever did in Lagos.
Businesses are collapsing. Remote workers are struggling.
Freelancers can’t meet deadlines because there’s no power to charge devices or run equipment.
This protest is long overdue. IBEDC needs to fix this or admit they can’t provide service and step aside for someone who can,” he naratted.
We’re willing to return affected communities to Band A but… – IBEDC Regional Manager
Responding, IBEDC Regional Manager, Mr. Ifeanyi Ikeji, said the company was willing to return the communities to Band A but would not rush the decision without first addressing generation constraints affecting supply.
He explained that power generation challenges were nationwide and also impacted customers on Band A, which he described as the company’s most viable category.
Ikeji further identified the high number of unmetered customers as another obstacle, urging residents to encourage meter acquisition to meet the 90 per cent metering requirement for Band A customers.
He assured the protesters that the company would continue engaging with stakeholders to find a lasting solution to the power supply challenges.