Licensed electrical contractors in Osun State took to the streets on Thursday, protesting alleged unethical practices by staff of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC). The protesters, under the aegis of the Licensed Electrical Contractors Association of Nigeria (LECAN), accused IBEDC of exploiting customers and hijacking professional duties legally assigned to licensed contractors.
Chanting protest songs and wielding placards with inscriptions like “Band A is a Fraud,” “Enough of IBEDC Exploitation,” and “Make Meters Available to All Customers,” the demonstrators marched through the Osogbo/Ibokun road to draw attention to their grievances.
LECAN’s Osun State Chairman, Kayode Adebayo, while addressing journalists, alleged that IBEDC staff were violating the Electricity Act of 2013 by usurping contractors’ responsibilities and extorting consumers in the process.
“IBEDC workers have turned into tormentors,” Adebayo said. “They make it difficult for residents to access meters or join the grid unless certain excruciating conditions are met. Worse still, new account holders are often slammed with fictitious debts of ₦100,000 before they’re even connected.”
Adebayo further alleged that customers are often forced to pay for faulty meters, while many who submitted meter cards for upgrades have yet to recover them. He described the Band A billing system as fraudulent and called for its scrapping.
He also accused IBEDC workers of demanding informal payments, or “PR,” before connecting transformers to the national grid, leaving some installed equipment idle.
In response, IBEDC’s Osogbo Regional Communication Officer, Kikelomo Owoeye, denied the allegations, maintaining that the company operates within legal and regulatory frameworks.
“Customers are not billed before connection,” she said, noting that any billing prior to full connection would only occur with customer consent and under specific conditions, such as during building construction.
Owoeye also addressed the issues of meter distribution and the recently discontinued card upgrade initiative. She acknowledged that while faulty meters are replaced—depending on the cause—some customers have attempted to manipulate the system using one payment receipt for multiple meter requests, which the company is investigating.
She added that the amnesty period for meter card reconfiguration had a clearly communicated deadline, which has now passed.
IBEDC, she affirmed, remains committed to transparency and customer satisfaction, while encouraging customers with genuine complaints and documents to come forward for resolution.
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