Residents of Ijero-Ekiti, headquarters of Ijero Local Government Area of Ekiti State, have appealed to Governor Biodun Oyebanji to urgently intervene in what they described as a worsening electricity supply crisis in the community.

The appeal was made by the Ijero-Ekiti Youth Development Forum (IYDF), which alleged that residents currently receive less than two hours of electricity supply in an entire week.

The forum described the situation as unacceptable and unsustainable, urging the state government and relevant electricity authorities to take immediate steps to restore regular power supply to the community.

The IYDF also called on the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to investigate the situation, alleging that some neighbouring communities connected to the same distribution network receive significantly longer hours of electricity.

Speaking on the development, the President of the forum, John Afolabi, said the prolonged blackout had adversely affected businesses, healthcare services, education and the general livelihood of residents.

According to him, the crisis goes beyond inadequate electricity supply, stressing that residents of Ijero-Ekiti deserve equitable access to public infrastructure.

“The people of Ijero-Ekiti are not second-class citizens. They pay their electricity bills. They pay their taxes. They are entitled to the same national infrastructure that other Nigerians receive,” Afolabi said.

The youth leader said the situation had gone beyond what could be described as routine power outages or load shedding, calling for an immediate investigation into the factors responsible for the prolonged blackout.

He said artisans and small-scale business owners had been particularly affected, noting that some business operators were reportedly relocating to communities with more stable electricity supply, while others had been forced to close their businesses.

Afolabi further said the electricity crisis was affecting students, who he said were finding it increasingly difficult to study at night.

He added that healthcare facilities in the area were also relying heavily on generators to provide essential services, thereby increasing their operational costs.

According to him, many households are now spending a substantial portion of their income on petrol and generator maintenance as a result of the persistent power shortage.

The IYDF president called for an immediate review of electricity allocation to Ijero-Ekiti, urging BEDC to work towards providing between 12 and 16 hours of electricity daily to the community.

He also demanded an urgent technical audit of the transformers and feeder lines serving Ijero-Ekiti, with faulty or inadequate infrastructure repaired or replaced where necessary.

Afolabi further called for an end to what the forum described as arbitrary estimated billing, urging BEDC to accelerate the deployment of prepaid meters across the local government area.

He appealed to NERC and the Ekiti State Government to investigate the electricity situation and ensure that the distribution company takes urgent corrective measures to address the challenges confronting residents.

The forum maintained that restoring reliable electricity to Ijero-Ekiti would help revive local businesses, improve healthcare delivery, support students and reduce the financial burden imposed on households by dependence on generators.