Over twenty communities in Ogun Waterside Local Government of Ogun State have lamented over seven years of blackouts due to zero electricity supply to the area at the weekend.

In a letter addressed to the Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly by the Chairman of the Ogun Waterside Patriotic Forum, Alhaji Dayo Oyenuga, the communities begged the State lawmakers to help restore electricity from the National grid to the communities.

The letter was signed by seven traditional rulers from Ogun Waterside namely, HRM Oba Folailu Adekunle Hassan – Lenuwa of Ode Omi; HRM Oba F. A Manuwa – Elero of Itebu Manuwa; HRM Oba Buari Ola Balogun – Onirokun of Irokun Kingdom; HRM Oba Olusegun O. Ogunye – Òjòtúmorò of Abigi; HRM Oba Musa Adetokunbo Adeniyi – Elefire of Efire; HRM Oba Oba Abidakun Olalekan Obikoya – Oloni of Oni; and HRM Oba Kazeem A. Salami – Osobia of Makun-Omi.

The aggrieved communities stated that “It is with pain and agony that we notify you that the entirety of Ogun Waterside Local Government Area has been offline for more than seven years because the cables connecting us to the power sub-station have been carted away by vandals.

“The Local Government administration’s efforts to maintain or protect and at times replace the facilities parts whenever they were stolen have not yielded the desired result as the vandals seem to have capitalised on the non-supply of light (power) regularly to vandalise and cart away the aluminium cables.

“All our efforts to get the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) to restore our electricity have not yielded the desired result.

“An attempt had been made by our body to subscribe to an OFF-GRID merchant with a view to finding an alternative power supply, but the conditions precedent to such an arrangement were beyond us. So, we had to stop and keep hoping that succour would come from a source like this hallowed chamber.

“Having exhausted all possible means of getting our electricity restored and yet without any result, the entire Communities has resolved to present our case through this channel, and we hereby solicit your kindest assistance through your office so as to get our light restored with a view to taking the Communities in Ogun Waterside Local Government Area of Ogun State out of total darkness that has been there since about seven years ago.

“Our local government seems to be the only one among the 774 Local government Areas in Nigeria that has not been supplied electricity from the national grid, and some of our Communities have never been remembered for electrification.

“Now with the 2023 Electricity Act, we seek solace from you.

“While we use this medium to appreciate you and your honourable members’ kind consideration of this all-important request, be rest assured of our warmest regards,” they said. (Nigerian Tribune)