Blackout: Ila-Orangun Youths Postpone Protest, Await IBEDC Transformer
Youths in Ila-Orangun, Osun State, under the aegis of Ila-Orangun Voice of the Youth (IVY), have postponed their planned protest, earlier scheduled to demand the restoration of electricity supply in the ancient town, citing a fresh promise from the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC).
In a public notice issued on Monday evening, the group announced a new date of Friday, 30th May 2025, for the demonstration, should IBEDC fail to deliver a 7.5 kV transformer to the town as promised.
According to the statement, IBEDC has assured the community that the equipment would be delivered on or before Thursday, 29th May 2025, a development the group described as “a last chance” before staging what it termed a “massive protest.”
“Please note: failure to deliver as promised will lead to a massive protest,” the group warned, urging residents to remain calm but vigilant.
OSUN DEFENDER reports that the planned action is in response to a prolonged blackout that has plunged Ila-Orangun into darkness for more than three months.
The town has been without power supply since early February, paralysing businesses, disrupting academic life, and increasing economic hardship.
A previous report by OSUN DEFENDER on 18th May 2025 highlighted the dire impact of the outage on local businesses, students, and households.
Mrs Rofiat Adebayo, a frozen food vendor, lamented losing over ₦500,000 worth of stock due to the outage, noting that the cost of fuelling her generator made her operations unsustainable.
Similarly, students at the Osun State College of Education and the Federal University of Health Sciences in the town decried their living conditions, with many studying under torchlights and struggling to charge their phones.
Sodiq Lawal is a passionate and dedicated journalist with a knack for uncovering captivating stories in the bustling metropolis of Osun State and Nigeria at large. He has a versatile reporting style, covering a wide range of topics, from politics , campus, and social issues to arts and culture, seeking impact in all facets of the society.
