Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) has disconnected several major customers due to unpaid electricity debt. The affected customers include the Ogun Industrial Estate in Ota, Ogun State, the Jebba Paper Mill in Ilorin, Kwara State, and the Liberty Stadium in Ibadan, Oyo State.
According to IBEDC, the disconnections were necessary due to the customers’ failure to pay for consumed electricity. The company’s spokesperson, Mrs. Busolami Tunwase, confirmed the development but declined to disclose the amount owed by the disconnected customers.
The disconnections have sparked concerns among manufacturers, who have been struggling to pay the new Band A tariff of N206 per kilowatt-hour. The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has appealed to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to review the tariff, which they consider too high.
MAN’s Director-General, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, revealed that over 100 industries have been disconnected, resulting in disrupted production and economic challenges. He emphasized that manufacturers are struggling to pay their electricity bills, with some having to borrow money to do so.
This development comes after IBEDC recently disconnected the University College Hospital in Ibadan, Oyo State, over an outstanding debt of N400m. The disconnections highlight the ongoing challenges in Nigeria’s power sector, with consumers and manufacturers struggling to afford the high cost of electricity.