A group of angry residents in Iperu, Ikenne Local Government Area of Ogun State, staged a protest at the office of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), expressing their outrage over what they described as an unbearable hike in electricity bills.
The demonstrators, comprising landlords, youths, and market women, accused the electricity company of extortion through estimated billing and poor service delivery.
Chanting solidarity songs and holding placards with inscriptions such as “Say No to Crazy Bills” and “Stop the Exploitation”, the protesters blocked the entrance of the IBEDC office, disrupting operations for several hours.
They alleged that despite irregular power supply, the company had consistently increased electricity tariffs without justification, placing more financial burden on already struggling households.
Some of the protesters claimed that their monthly bills had jumped from an average of N7,000 to as high as N45,000, even though they barely enjoyed up to six hours of electricity daily.
The demonstrators also expressed frustration over the company’s failure to provide prepaid meters, which they believe would ensure fair and transparent billing.
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Mr. Kehinde Shonubi, a community leader, said the situation had become unbearable for residents. “We cannot continue like this. People are suffering. They bring outrageous bills without reading meters and refuse to provide prepaid meters. It is daylight robbery,” he lamented.
Another protester, Mrs. Modupe Balogun, a trader, said the high bills were crippling her business. “We barely have light and I’m still forced to pay over N20,000 every month. My freezer is constantly off and I lose perishable goods. We need the government to intervene,” she said.
Attempts by IBEDC staff to pacify the crowd were met with stiff resistance as the protesters insisted on the presence of top management officials and representatives of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to address their grievances. Security operatives were later deployed to maintain order, although the protest remained largely peaceful.
In response, a spokesperson for IBEDC, who declined to be named, said the company was aware of the issues and was working on improving service delivery. “We understand the concerns of our customers in Iperu and we are committed to resolving them. We also encourage those without meters to apply through our ongoing metering program,” the official said.
Meanwhile, the Ogun State government is yet to officially respond to the protest, but local authorities have reportedly scheduled a meeting with both IBEDC representatives and community leaders in the coming days to address the electricity billing crisis and explore lasting solutions.
