After several days of total blackout, electricity has finally been restored to Omo West, Obelawo, and surrounding communities, following repairs by the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), Osun Region.

The outage, which left residents in darkness and disrupted businesses, was caused by the vandalism of incoming cables at the Obelawo 500KVA substation, affecting the Igbona 11KV feeder.

In an official statement on Thursday, IBEDC confirmed that power has now been restored.

“We appreciate our customers’ support during this downtime and thank them for staying with us,” the statement read. The utility company also apologized for the inconvenience caused and pledged continued efforts to provide reliable electricity.

The power restoration comes on the heels of growing public pressure and mounting frustration from community stakeholders, residents, particularly the Osogbo Development Action Group (ODAG).

Recall, on July 8, ODAG attended a stakeholders’ meeting with IBEDC representatives, where they observed and later voiced strong dissatisfaction over persistent and worsening power supply in Osogbo and its environs.

In a public address, ODAG described the outages as a direct threat to economic stability and a breach of electricity consumer rights as outlined by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). The group cited poor complaint resolution, erratic billing practices, failure to maintain infrastructure, and inadequate response to faults as key concerns. They stressed that these ongoing issues have crippled small businesses, hindered apprenticeship opportunities for youth, and endangered lives in health facilities.

ODAG also raised alarms about the prolonged wait for prepaid meters despite payments, and the frequent theft of meters due to a lack of proper security and tracking mechanisms.

IBEDC, in its response during the meeting, acknowledged the challenges and stated that it operates within a national electricity framework, which includes generation and transmission agencies. The company explained that some decisions, such as the band classification of power supply areas, originate from the Federal Government and are beyond their direct control.

Nonetheless, ODAG insisted that IBEDC must be more proactive in protecting critical infrastructure from vandalism, improving customer engagement, and meeting the service standards set by NERC.

The latest power restoration is a welcome development, but residents say it must mark the beginning of lasting change not a temporary fix.