Communities in the Ondo South Senatorial District of Ondo State have petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari over 10 years of blackout in the district.
Hundreds of communities in the district, which comprises six local government areas, have been without electricity for over 10 years.
In their petition, they alleged that the communities have been disconnected from the national grid by Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) for over 10 years.
It was signed by their spokesperson, a renowned social crusader, resident at Sabomi community in the Ilaje/Ese-Odo Local Government Area of the state, Comrade Kolade Omoyeni, alleging that the people of the district need urgent rescue by the government from over one decade of outright blackout.
It said the development has also destroyed the socio-economic development of the district thereby causing the people untold hardship.
The letter sent on Thursday and entitled: “PRESIDENT BUHARI, SAVE ONDO SOUTH FROM DECADES OF DARKNESS NOW,” said: “The social, economic, and moral growth and development of our people are now in obvious disarray.
“Even politicians have worked to get BEDC to the needful but the electricity distributor is hell-bent on keeping over three million people in darkness.
“There can’t be an industry in Ondo South where the people have been living in darkness for about 15 years.”
It appealed to President Buhari give an express order to BEDC to immediately restore electricity back to the district; noting that the southern senatorial district which played host to industries such as Oluwa Glass; Araromi Rubber Estate, Okitipupa Oil Palm, and others has suffered enough neglect.
It added that if there were efforts to rebuild and advance the moribund industries, it could not be achieved without electricity supply; and lamented the marginalization of the district in the distribution of power being generated by the Omotosho Power Plant.
It said BEDC customers have been enjoying power supply “while the host people are gnashing their teeth in the darkness, calls justice to question.
According to the letter: “Ondo South is an oil-producing district that is very significant to the economic balancing of this country. It is injustice and insensitive to keep such a people in decades of grinding poverty and insecurity through the conspicuous consumption maltreatment of a service provider as the BEDC.
“We need President Buhari to ask National Electricity Regulations Commission (NERC) and the Ministry of Power; is the BEDC more powerful than the regulatory agencies or even the presidency? And can’t another service provider take over Ondo South instead?
“We will be happy if this injustice against Ondo South is corrected immediately. This is a subtle appeal. The absence of electricity in Ondo South is a real threat to the livelihood of Apoi, Ilaje, Ikale, Odigbo, and Ijaw/Arogbo people. These are nations that have contributed in no small measure to what Nigeria is today.”
It said that “History will note if your presidency, as you envisioned on ending on good notes, would correct the injustice against us and restore our electricity fully and unconditionally very soon.”
