The Oyo State House of Assembly today took a firm stand against the worsening electricity crisis in Ibarapaland. Adopting a formal motion, the House condemned the Minister of Power, Oloye Adebayo Adelabu, for what lawmakers described as gross incompetence.
They noted that despite the Minister being a “son of the soil,” electricity supply across the region—and indeed much of Oyo State—has become almost nonexistent.
The motion was moved by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin, and seconded by the member representing Ibarapa North/Central Constituency, Hon. Peter Ojedokun.
While presenting the motion on the floor of the House, Hon. Ojedokun decried the persistent and prolonged power outages affecting residents and businesses in the Ibarapa East, Ibarapa North, and Ibarapa Central Local Government Areas. He described the situation as “unacceptable, economically damaging, and socially disruptive,” noting that households and commercial enterprises have suffered massive losses due to the unreliable power supply.
Hon. Ojedokun further urged that while the motion highlights nearly 15 years of power outages in Ibarapaland, the House’s resolutions must extend to other zones across Oyo State grappling with similar challenges. The motion emphasized that the welfare of all state residents must be prioritized in any federal intervention.
Members of the House joined the Speaker in expressing strong dissatisfaction with the performance of the Federal Ministry of Power under Oloye Adelabu. They accused the Minister of failing to provide sustainable solutions, pointing out that years of poor leadership and a lack of effective policy implementation have left many communities in near-complete darkness.Several members highlighted the financial burden on citizens forced to rely on expensive alternative power sources, such as generators, while still receiving inflated “estimated” bills for services not rendered. They stressed that this crisis has stifled economic growth and disrupted education, particularly in rural communities.
Following the debate, the House resolved to:
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Engage the Executive: Urge the Oyo State Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources to engage the Federal Ministry of Power to demand the expedited completion and commissioning of proposed substations in Ibarapaland.
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Infrastructure Upgrade: Call on federal agencies to urgently assess, rehabilitate, and upgrade transmission and distribution infrastructure serving the Ibarapa Zone, including feeders and transformers.
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End Arbitrary Billing: Urge the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) to review its billing practices, discontinue arbitrary and estimated billing in areas without supply, and ensure consumers are billed only for actual energy consumed.
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Prioritize Rural Electrification: Call on the Federal Government, through the National Rural Electrification Board, to prioritize Ibarapa in its grid expansion programs, especially for communities in darkness for over a decade.
The Committee on Energy was mandated to interface with relevant state and federal authorities and report back to the House within four weeks on concrete steps taken to restore power.
In his closing remarks, Speaker Adebo Ogundoyin reaffirmed the Assembly’s commitment to the welfare of Oyo State residents. He stressed that the motion and the subsequent condemnation were not politically motivated but were necessary to ensure accountability and find sustainable solutions to a crisis that has persisted for over ten years.
