Osun residents lament power outrage, as NLC strike enters day two
…TCN explains reasons
By Ismail Azeez, Osogbo
Residents of Osogbo, Osun State state capital have decried two-day blackout following power outage by the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company Plc (IBEDC).
The people, particularly those into business activities, counted the losses they had incurred within two days of the development.
The power outage was as a result of the two-day warning strike declared by the leadership of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) following the continuous economic hardship occasioned by fuel subsidy removal.
A business centre operator at Olaiya, Fagbewesa street Osogbo, Alhaja Kudirat Sulaiman said her business had suffered decline since the fuel subsidy removal, adding that power outage had aggravated the situation.
“If I tell you how much I spend on fuel daily since the fuel subsidy removal, you will pity me. Since IBEDC has taken the electricity due to the warning strike, it has been a very tough time for me.
Echoing similar views, Mr Olakunle Abiodun lamented that thing are not going smoothly well in the country.
According to him, “It’s very hard not to have electricity in Osogbo for 24 hours.”
However, a barber who simply identified himself as Adewale urged IBEDC not to join the nationwide strike because of its negative impact on the business.
Meanwhile, the image maker of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Mr Omideji Oluwakayode said the outage was as a result of the two-day warming strike.
Oluwakayode stated that power outage is not peculiar to Osogbo alone, saying that Abuja, Kaduna, Port Hartcut, and part of Lagos are experiencing the same thing.
According to him, “The power outage in Osun State is due to nationwide strike, this is a union matter, the nation’s Union of employees is kind of affiliated with NLC and all the affiliate bodies joined the strike.
“If you go to the National Control Center (NCC) you will notice that there is light this is to tell you that the grid is perfectly on. But because of the strike workers are not on the ground to operate the system and the system could not run by itself.
“Electricity is sensitive to our life government shouldn’t allow this to happen to this system because its citizens that will suffer if people in charge of the electricity can join strike it could be terrible.”
