Some residents of Ibadan, Ilorin and Abeokuta, have complained about the dwindling power supply services despite the recent tariff hike in the sector.

Expressing their grievances in separate interviews on Tuesday, the respondents agreed that having to pay more for deteriorating power services was unbearable.

An Ibadan-based businessman, Yinka Olumayowa, said that electricity supply within the Ibadan metropolis had degenerated.

He noted, “Most places can hardly boast of two hours of electricity in a day, while many have resorted to alternative sources of power. However, those who cannot afford these alternatives are left to suffer.’’

A mobile telephone repairer, Isaiah Ajayi, said he now relied on solar power to sustain his business.

He noted that many of his colleagues, who could not salvage the power situation, had dropped the business to become commercial motorcyclists.

“If power is regular, small-scale businesses will thrive and there will be support for families and relations relying on these businesses for their daily means,” Mr Ajayi said.

A welder, Sunday Oyekanmi, said he abandoned welding for property management because of the unimaginably high cost of alternative electricity when the national grid became unreliable.

He said, “Nigeria’s epileptic power supply killed my vocation and to survive, I have to move on to another business.”

An Ibadan-based industrialist, Idris Gbadeyanka, described the increment as an “unjustified decision” by the government.

Mr Gbadeyanka said those in authority should have ensured reasonable stability in the supply of power, rather than exposing the ordinary Nigerian to unnecessary hardship.

“Honestly, I’m frustrated by the series of pains the current government has placed on the shoulders of those of us striving to make headway in business in Nigeria today. As a businessman who depends on electricity to produce different commodities, I’m struggling to survive because my company has folded up because I don’t have the financial strength to continue production. Imagine how expensive the prices of ingredients required for the production of yoghurt, combined with the increment in electricity. I am also considering stopping further production of ice block, at least for now, due to the high cost of electricity.

“I know some people in the neighbouring states whose small-scale industries are equally folding up due to similar reasons,” Mr Gbadeyanka said.

An economist, Lukman Alade, argued that government policies were currently inflicting multidimensional pains on the citizens.

Mr Alade wondered why the tariff issue would come up when Nigerians had barely recovered from the impact of the fuel subsidy removal and naira devaluation.

“Even in advanced societies, you don’t paralyse the people economically by introducing reforms that can make or break them at the same time. Again, it’s not as if the governments of those advanced worlds subsidised critical areas such as electricity; I wonder where our government copied their style,” he said.

A frozen food seller at Bodija Market, Beatrice Dennis, said that her business was crumbling, owing to the huge part of her income going into the fuelling of her generator.

She said, “Most investments that rely on electricity to thrive are facing the threat of collapsing because a larger part of their revenues goes into alternative sources of energy to power their businesses. This is making things difficult for some employers to pay workers’ salaries.’’

Similarly, an ice block maker, Kehinde Olayinka, noted that his business could not survive without a regular power supply.

He said many Nigerians would not be able to afford to buy ice blocks if he chose to produce with a generator due to the high cost of diesel.

A resident of Olomi in the Oluyole Local Government Area of Ibadan, Taofeek Adediji, alleged that the electricity companies had failed Nigerians through the ‘Band allocation.’

He said communities only get to enjoy electricity supply for about two to three hours in the wee hours of the day, when it would be useless for small-scale business owners.

“The situation is getting worse by the day, as many of us have lost hope.

“The development has impacted negatively on both the economic and social lifestyle of residents,” he said.

The situation is the same in Ilorin and its environs as consumers expressed disappointment over the epileptic power supply, explaining how it is negatively affecting their businesses despite the hike.

According to a goldsmith, Oluwole Abayomi, the situation has led to his customers leaving him for others in the same business.

“In my area at Sango, we only have power twice a week and just for two hours. It has cost me a lot because my customers are no longer coming. The electricity company comes with crazy bills every month, despite their inconsistency. They gave us a bill of N20,000 last week. A very funny scenario,” he said.

Similarly, a frozen fish seller, Comfort Ayoola, said she lost all her goods due to poor electricity supply.

Also, an artisan, Yusuf Bello, said the solar he opted for had been helpful.

He said, “I resolved to solar energy because enough is enough. Most times, for a whole month, there won’t be a blink of the light. It is annoying and frustrating. Let them hold their light as I have refused to load my prepaid meter since it is just a figurehead and useless.’’

A resident of Ilorin, Morufat Isiaka, said that most people would soon opt for solar generated power.

“As you can see, everyone is now buying solar for use; nobody can trust the power from the national grid again,” she said.

She, however, called on the government to find a lasting solution to the exorbitant bills being distributed every month and make power more available.

A sales representative of an Ilorin-based solar company, Abdulwasiu Oladipo, said that sales had increased, attributing it to the erratic power supply in the state.

Mr Oladipo said people had resorted to finding alternative power sources since the policy to increase the electricity tariff didn’t in any way improve the power supply, rather worsening it.

In Abeokuta, the respondents called for improvement, noting that despite the high tariff imposed on them, supply was getting worse by the day.

A hairdresser, Juliana Olowokere, said that her monthly electricity bill went up from N22,000 to N46,000, despite the irregular power supply.

An octogenarian, Julius Nworah said, “What the country needs is strong legislation by the National Assembly to protect Nigerians from undue exploitation by service providers and electricity operators.”

A private school operator, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that the school could no longer run electric fans for pupils to prevent heat during the day.

The proprietor urged the Federal Government to fix the power sector for the good of all.

A human rights activist, James Aremu, said that stakeholders should have been invited to advise accordingly before such a magnitude decision to hike the tariff.

He pleaded with the FG to do the needful by ensuring the masses were not deprived of the dividends of democracy.

(NAN)