…Youth Forum alleges discrimination, seeks urgent intervention
Residents of Ijero-Ekiti, the headquarters of Ijero Local Government Area of Ekiti State, have raised the alarm over what they described as an intolerable electricity crisis, alleging that the community now receives less than two hours of power supply in an entire week.
The alarm was raised by the Ijero-Ekiti Youth Development Forum (IYDF), which called for urgent intervention by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC), the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Ekiti State Government.
According to the Forum, the situation has become particularly disturbing because, while Ijero remains in prolonged darkness, some neighbouring communities within the same distribution network are reportedly enjoying significantly longer hours of electricity supply.
The IYDF President, John Afolabi, said the prolonged blackout was crippling businesses, disrupting healthcare services and making life increasingly difficult for residents.
Afolabi explained that the issue was not merely about electricity but about equal access to public infrastructure.
“The people of Ijero-Ekiti are not second-class citizens. They pay their electricity bills. They pay their taxes. They are entitled to the same national infrastructure that other Nigerians receive,” Afolabi said.
He alleged that the situation had gone beyond ordinary power outages or load shedding, describing it as a prolonged electricity distribution problem requiring immediate investigation and corrective action.
The Forum said artisans and small-scale businesses had been particularly affected, with some reportedly relocating to areas with better electricity supply while others had been forced to shut down.
It added that students were struggling to study at night, while healthcare facilities were increasingly dependent on generators to provide essential services.
Families, according to the Forum, are also being forced to spend a substantial part of their income on fuel and generator maintenance because of the persistent power shortage.
IYDF’s Demands
The youth body is demanding an immediate review of electricity allocation to Ijero and wants BEDC to work towards providing between 12 and 16 hours of daily electricity supply to the community.
It also called for an urgent technical audit of transformers and feeder lines serving Ijero, with repairs or replacement of faulty infrastructure where necessary.
The Forum further demanded an end to what it described as arbitrary estimated billing, insisting that prepaid meters should be deployed across the local government area.
It also called on NERC and the Ekiti State Government to investigate the situation and ensure that BEDC addresses the electricity challenges confronting the community.
