Ebenezer Adurokiya, Reporting
RESIDENTS of Ile-Nla, Agbegba Street, in the Barika area of Agbowo, Ibadan, Oyo State, are counting their losses following persistent electricity fluctuations that have reportedly damaged several household appliances.
The residents said the problem, which has lasted for more than two weeks, became particularly severe in the past four days, with power surges allegedly linked to a faulty transformer serving the community.
According to them, appliances including standing fans, phone chargers, power banks, decoders, stabilisers, freezers and LED bulbs have been damaged as electricity fluctuated between low and high voltage.
The situation has left residents frustrated, particularly because it came after a prolonged period of inadequate electricity supply in the area.
One of the residents, DideOluwa, who lives close to the Ile-Nla Mosque, narrated her ordeal to Stonix News after several appliances in her home were damaged.
She said her GOtv plug, phone charger and standing fan were burnt after electricity was restored and subsequently increased to a high level.
“The GOtv plug got burnt just tonight of Saturday August 22. The head of the charger also got burnt and the fan in my room got burnt just this night. I cannot even charge my phone,” she said.
DideOluwa explained that electricity was restored at about 6pm but initially appeared weak.
She said a neighbour had resorted to using a generator to pump water because of the low supply, but after the generator was switched off, the electricity reportedly became stronger.
According to her, the situation became alarming at about 9:45pm when she heard a mini bomb sound from the appliances and subsequently noticed smoke coming from her standing fan.
“I also switched off all the light in the house so that they won’t get burnt too,” she added.
Another resident, Mrs Oladele, said the problem had caused repeated financial losses for her family, despite their efforts to protect their appliances with stabilisers.
She said residents had been forced to devise ways of managing the unstable supply because they needed electricity to charge their phones and operate their businesses and household equipment.
“For a while now, it has been consistently, power supply fluctuating up and down,” she said.
Oladele said her family had purchased several replacement chargers after previous incidents, adding that even the use of a stabiliser had failed to prevent further damage.
“Despite all that, we still got all our chargers blasted day after day. Previously we bought several chargers after the previous blast. I think this is the third time we are having this blast again that we have to replace all our chargers, and this is a serious crisis on our side,” she said.
The residents’ complaints come against the backdrop of longstanding concerns over electricity supply in Barika.
Stonix News gathered that the area had previously experienced prolonged periods of poor electricity supply, with allegations that the distribution company had restricted supply over suspected electricity theft by some residents.
However, residents said the recent improvement in supply had brought a different kind of hardship, as unstable voltage was allegedly damaging appliances in homes.
The situation has consequently raised concerns about the quality and safety of electricity being supplied to the community.
The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), which distributes electricity in Oyo State, is expected to investigate the reported power fluctuations and faulty transformer and take urgent steps to stabilise supply.
For the affected residents, the issue goes beyond enjoying longer hours of electricity. They need a brand new transformer.
They want a reliable and stable supply that will allow them to use their appliances without the fear of losing them to sudden voltage fluctuations.
As households continue to count the cost of damaged equipment, residents are calling for urgent intervention before the situation causes further losses.
