Residents Take Action After Long Power Outage in Ogun Communities

The people living in the Ogijo area of Sagamu Local Government in Ogun State have started night patrols to secure their neighbourhoods. This comes after they faced 11 months of darkness due to a broken transformer.

The affected areas include Freedom Estate, Seidu Central, Seidu Estate, Blessed Estate, Ifesowapo, and Agbajowa. Residents shared their frustrations in interviews with a PUNCH Metro reporter on Saturday.

They explained that the problem started when their transformer broke down. After several months without repairs, the residents decided to raise money among themselves to buy a new transformer.

Joseph Olusoji, a resident, told our reporter that the transformer serving the communities failed about 11 months ago, and all attempts to fix it did not work. He said that since repairing it was not an option, landlords gathered money to buy a new one.

Olusoji mentioned that after getting the new transformer, they realized they could not pay for the installation. This led them to seek help from outside sources.

He said, "The issue of the blackout in our communities began about 11 months ago when our transformer developed a fault. We tried to fix it, but it did not work. So, we decided to purchase a new one through crowdfunding from individual donations.

"After we purchased the transformer, we realised that the cost of installing it was expensive and we could not afford it. We have tried to get help, but all was to no avail. That is why we are seeking intervention.

"The blackout has affected businesses and has also posed a security threat to us. We now rely on community policing efforts by residents to keep our communities safe. We take turns conducting night patrols because of the blackout."

Another resident, Abayomi Onashola, revealed that each landlord contributed N100,000 to buy the transformer. He said they now need N12 million for installation.

Onashola said, "We contributed N100,000 each to purchase the transformer, and N12 million is needed to install it and restore electricity supply, which we cannot afford.

"The blackout is affecting businesses and security. We have had to resort to conducting night patrols because of the blackout. Many businesses have also been affected."

A trader and retiree in Seidu Estate, who wished to remain anonymous, spoke about how the blackout and high petrol costs have hurt her drinks business.

She said, "I am a retiree, and I sell soft drinks and sachet water. Since the blackout began, my business has been stalled because I cannot chill my products. My children bought a generator for me as an alternative, but the cost of fuelling it has become unbearable and unprofitable.

"We are seeking the help of government agencies and the relevant authorities to install this new transformer and restore electricity supply to our communities."

When asked for a response, Angela Olanrewaju, the spokesperson for the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, directed our reporter to the Media Relations Officer, Daniel Adugbo.

Adugbo promised to respond to our correspondent but had not done so by the time of this report.