•An old transformer
Eleven communities of Ali-Ara in Wara, Osin, and Egbejila wards of Ilorin West Local Government Area of Kwara state have been plunged into darkness.
It was learnt that the outage which happened six months ago was caused by the dysfunctional state of the 20 years old transformer supplying electricity to the affected communities, reports The Nation.
The communities are Ali-Ara; Adedoyin; Ifesowapo; Ajara; Agogo; Ambassador; Budo-Oke; Egoo; Ojuolape; Orelope Temiodara and Temiodara Annex.
The communities are therefore appealing to the state government to come to their rescue.
In a save-our-soul (SOS) message signed the communities “wish to make a passionate appeal to the government for a new electricity power transformer to ease the suffering of the people in the area of electricity supply.”
The letter was signed by the Chair and Assistant Chair of Electricity Committee of the communities Abdulazeez Bankole and Abdulrafiu Olaiya
The letter reads: “It must be recalled that the 200KVA transformer presently serving the eleven (11) communities in the area is far overloaded.
“The number of houses within the communities that the transformer was serving at its installation over 20 years ago have increased astronomically. As a result of overloading, the communities in question have been experiencing intermittent darkness.
“On a few occasions, the voltage becomes so low that it could not power.
“However, several repairs and maintenance had been carried out by the above communities on the said transformer without waiting for the government or IBEDC to keep it functioning; until a few months ago when the transformer packed up. Officials of the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) were contacted, and they told us that the transformer was damaged beyond repair and required total replacement with a new one.
“It must also be rightly revealed that these communities are mostly peasant farmers with pockets of civil servants and taken into cognizance the meager income of the people, it might take an eternity to embark on the purchase of another transformer.
“Presently, the entire community is in total darkness and life has become unbearable for us all ever since then.
“As law-abiding citizens of Kwara state, who have been exercising our civil responsibility whenever the need arises politically and otherwise, we urgently seek the intervention of the government for the procurement of a new transformer.
“We are banking on the administration’s kind-heartedness as well as the government’s inclination towards the comfort of Kwarans generally for assistance.”
