IBEDC to Restore Power Supply to Ogun Communities After 10 Years in Darkness Ejiofor Alike

The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) Plc has embarked on massive projects to restore power supply to some parts of Ibafon, Mowe, Magboro, Oke-afa, Ofada, and Owode communities in Ogun State, which have been without electricity supply for 10 years.

Speaking at the New Abeokuta 132/33KV Transmission Substation when he led journalists and community leaders of the affected communities to inspect the ongoing projects, the Chief Technical Officer of IBEDC, Mr. Ade Ayileka assured the communities that the projects would be completed within six weeks.

Ayileka noted that with the completion of the new transmission substation located at the Kobape Road in Abeokuta, the affected communities in Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State would soon receive more reliable and better quality power supply from the substation.
The Chief Technical Officer, who also conducted journalists and community leaders around the ongoing erection of 40-feet electric poles and lines from the new transmission substation to the affected communities, added that the power to be supplied would be more reliable and of better quality than the power from the Ogere transmission substation where some of the communities are currently getting epileptic supply.

“As you have seen, it (New Abeokuta Transmission Substation) is a new transmission substation. The power capacity is available and is much more than the power capacity coming from Ogere. At Ogere, we have this kind of transmission substation. But Ogere is far from this location and this substation is closer to Mowe than Ogere. So, the close you are to the power station, the better the quality of power and in some cases, the better the capacity. Ogere station is overloaded; it has many lines emanating from it. But Mowe-Ibafon line is going to be the first line that will emanate from this new substation. So, it is going to have enough capacity to supply power to Mowe-Ibafon,” Ayileka explained.

Ayileka stated that the communities would start enjoying regular supply as soon as the ongoing erection of new lines by IBEDC is completed in the new four weeks.

Also speaking the Chief Commercial Officer of IBEDC, Mr. Deolu Ijose appealed to the communities to cooperate with the contractors to ensure the completion of the projects on schedule.
Ijose noted that each of the poles used in erecting the new lines is 40-feet pole to demonstrate IBEDC’s commitment to quality and safety.

Addressing journalists on the progress of work on the projects, the Project Engineer of Tommy Toak Enterprises, the contractors handling the work, Mr. Ope Akintomide revealed that the erection of the lines and poles had progressed significantly before the Ogun State Government wrote to IBEDC that it wanted to reconstruct the road into 10-lane express road.

According to him, this interrupted the project as the contractors had to erect another 40 poles on a new route.

“Before, we were using cutlass to clear the bush because it was close to the road but now we have to go deeper inside the bush. So, we have to get bulldozer and as we bulldoze, we dig and erect the poles. Before we erect poles, it has to be 35 metres away from the road, which is inside a thick bush. We have problems with the villagers because if you have to clear 35 metres away from the road, you will clear people’s crops,” Akintomide explained.

In his remark, a community leader representing all the communities in Obafemi-Owode LGA, Mr. Jimi Olusanya assured IBEDC and the contractors that the communities within Ibafon-Mowe axis would give unhindered right of way for the contractors to erect the lines.

He appealed to IBEDC and the contractors to ensure that the projects are completed within six weeks as promised.

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