Total Blackout Hits Kwara as IBEDC Staff Begin Indefinite Strike

Kwara State has been plunged into a total blackout as the staff of Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) in Ilorin began an indefinite strike on Thursday. The strike has worsened the already erratic power supply in the Ilorin metropolis and surrounding areas.

For several months, parts of downtown Ilorin have experienced near-total blackouts, which has led to widespread dissatisfaction. The president of the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU), Alhaji AbdulMumini AbdulMalik, voiced his frustration with the poor power supply by writing a formal complaint letter to IBEDC’s management. In his letter dated February 5, 2025, AbdulMalik expressed the growing discontent of Ilorin residents, citing the persistent power shortages since last year.

The letter, addressed to IBEDC’s managing director, highlighted that many parts of Ilorin receive less than six hours of electricity daily, and some areas go without power for days on end. AbdulMalik criticized the privatization of the country’s electricity sector, stating that the benefits were not reaching the people, who continue to receive inflated bills for power they do not consume.

He also noted that, had it not been for the intervention of the IEDPU, protests from the public would have erupted across the city and its neighboring communities. The continuous power outage has raised security concerns and disrupted the operations of local businesses.

The IBEDC offices in the Challenge area and Ojatuntun-Baboko area of Ilorin were shut down by protesting workers on Thursday. The workers locked the gates to express their discontent over poor welfare conditions. Placards placed on the gates read: “IBEDC should prioritize staff welfare,” “No more half salaries,” and “Pay our pension, union, and cooperative deductions now.”

Comrade Ayodele Peters, the secretary of the National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) in Kwara, confirmed that the workers were protesting the company’s treatment of staff, including the payment of half salaries. He explained that deductions made for pensions, union fees, and cooperative contributions had not been remitted by the company, causing difficulties for workers to access their funds.

Peters also revealed that IBEDC had recently laid off some workers, and rumors suggested that more layoffs would occur. He expressed concern that laid-off workers would not be able to access their pension funds or cooperative society loans due to the company’s failure to credit the appropriate accounts.

Attempts to contact the IBEDC management for a response were unsuccessful as the phone number of the company’s corporate affairs manager, Busolami Tunwase, was unreachable at press time.