OSOGBO, OSUN STATE – May 15, 2025 – Members of the Licensed Electrical Contractors Association of Nigeria (LECAN), Osun State chapter, today staged a protest against the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), accusing its staff of unethical practices, customer exploitation, and encroaching on their professional duties.

 

Chanting protest songs and displaying placards with messages such as ‘Band is a fraud’, ‘Enough of IBEDC Exploitation on Transformers’, and ‘Make meters available to all customers’, the contractors marched through Osogbo/Ibokun road to voice their grievances.

 

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Addressing journalists, LECAN’s Osun State Chairman, Kayode Adebayo, alleged that IBEDC staff were flouting the Electricity Act of 2013 by usurping responsibilities meant for licensed contractors.

“The Electricity Act of 2013 stipulates the roles of DISCO workers, electrical contractors and consumers. Unfortunately, IBEDC workers have usurped the responsibility of licensed contractors only to turn into tormentors who wickedly exploit residents/customers,” Adebayo stated.

 

He further claimed that IBEDC workers have become a “barrier” to residents acquiring electricity meters, a duty that should typically fall to licensed contractors. He accused IBEDC staff of making “ordinary account generation a problem in a bid to exploit innocent and unsuspecting customers.”

 

Adebayo specifically highlighted alleged fraudulent practices, stating, “IBEDC fraudulently exploits customers as those given new accounts are usually charged a minimum debit of N100,000 on newly created accounts—even before joining the grid. This unknown debt would even be transferred into the customer’s prepaid meters, thereby making them pay for services never rendered, contrary to the Electricity Act.”

 

He also alleged that IBEDC often fails to replace faulty meters, forcing customers to either purchase new ones or endure estimated billing. Adebayo criticized the practice of not returning customers’ cards submitted for upgrade, calling it illegal, and declared that “the Band system is not working; therefore, the concept of Band A is a fraud.”

 

The LECAN chairman further claimed that IBEDC staff were involved in extorting residents under the guise of assisting with transformer acquisition, replacement, or repair. “In some cases, installed transformers are not powered because IBEDC workers are not given adequate ‘PR’ to connect them to the national grid. We thereby declare that this act of fraud is enough and demand that it must stop,” he added.

 

In response, IBEDC’s Osogbo Regional Communication Officer, Kikelomo Owoeye, denied the allegations, emphasizing the company’s commitment to transparency and regulatory compliance.

“Contrary to some claims, customers are not billed before connection. However, instances where electricity is used during building construction may result in billing after the customer consents to connection through the submitted form. Such cases can be addressed through available resolution and adjustment windows,” Owoeye explained.

 

Regarding metering issues, she stated, “IBEDC continues to meter customers with verified proof of payment. We encourage customers with genuine documentation to come forward. Unfortunately, there have been attempts to fraudulently use a single receipt for multiple meters, which are being thoroughly investigated.”

 

Addressing concerns about the discontinued card reconfiguration program, Owoeye clarified, “It was an amnesty initiative with a clearly communicated deadline. That window has since closed.”

She also noted that faulty meters are replaced by IBEDC depending on the cause, with customers responsible for replacement if it results from misuse, while IBEDC replaces meters due to manufacturing defects within a given timeline, temporarily basing billing on NERC-approved capping during the process.