Why Electricity Supply in Bodija and Ibadan Has Deteriorated — And What Power Minister Adebayo Adelabu Is Doing About It
Electricity in Bodija Estate and the wider Ibadan metropolis has become one of the most talked-about challenges facing residents, traders, homeowners, and businesses in 2025–2026. Areas like Kasumu Estate, Asunle, and along Akala Expressway have reported nearly two months without reliable power, exacerbating daily hardship and economic strain. This has sparked rising frustration, with many residents questioning why Nigeria’s third-largest city—which once enjoyed relatively stable electricity compared to many other parts of the country—now experiences prolonged outages and an increasingly unreliable grid.
In Bodija, the situation has become severe enough that local resident associations and community leaders have formally appealed to national authorities, including the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, to intervene urgently. But to understand the current crisis, its roots, and what the federal government is doing about it, it’s important to break down the systemic causes, the specific factors in Ibadan, and the policy responses currently underway.
📉 The Current Reality: Power Shortages, Outages, and Public Anger
Residents of Old and New Bodija, Basorun, Iwo Road, Oje, Mokola, and surrounding districts describe daily life being disrupted by frequent blackouts and prolonged outages lasting days or weeks. Despite paying for Band A tariffs—which theoretically guarantee a minimum of 20 hours of electricity per day—many communities have never received this level of supply. After a tariff review in April 2024, Bodija was downgraded to Band B, promising 16 hours per day. But even this has not been delivered.
The Bodija Estate Residents Association (BERA) has highlighted that the 40 MVA transformer currently serving the community is overloaded and insufficient for current demand. A larger transformer—100 MVA—has already been delivered to the site by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), but its installation has been delayed, prolonging the suffering of ordinary residents.
This is not an isolated issue. Across Ibadan and the wider IBEDC franchise area (Oyo, Ogun, Osun, and Kwara), the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) has publicly acknowledged that reduced allocation from the national grid has contributed significantly to outages. Simply put, less electricity is being wheeled into the region from the national system, leaving communities with little or no supply for extended periods.
⚙️ Why Power Supply Has Declined: Structural Issues in Nigeria’s Grid
🧱 1. Reduced Grid Allocation
The immediate cause for many of the recent outages has been a reduction in grid allocation — meaning less power is being transmitted from the national generation system into distribution networks like IBEDC’s. This limits how much electricity distribution companies can supply to cities such as Ibadan.
🔥 2. Gas Supply Constraints
One of the deep-rooted issues in Nigeria’s power sector is the country’s heavy reliance on gas-fired thermal plants. Several reports show that low gas supply to generating companies (GenCos) has contributed to reduced power generation, which then cascades into lower transmission and distribution.
⚡ 3. Ageing and Weak Infrastructure
Nigeria’s power grid suffers from decades of under-investment, ageing infrastructure, and insufficient maintenance. Old transmission lines, outdated transformers, and worn distribution networks struggle to cope with growing urban demand. Officials — including Minister Adelabu — have acknowledged that weak infrastructure is a major reason for erratic electricity nationwide, and reforms must target grid strengthening and equipment upgrades.
📉 4. Distribution Company Performance
Distribution companies (Discos) like IBEDC are licensed to deliver electricity from the grid to homes and businesses. However, power industry leaders — including the Minister himself — have described several of these firms as the weakest link in Nigeria’s electricity value chain due to poor investment in infrastructure, low remittances, and failure to meet performance benchmarks.
🛠️ 5. Vandalism and Theft
Another persistent issue is the vandalism of critical infrastructure — from gas pipelines to transmission towers — and widespread power theft. These acts not only reduce generation capacity but also interrupt the stability of the national grid, resulting in unexpected outages.
🔍 Is It Just Bodija or Ibadan Entirely?
Although Bodija’s power plight has drawn attention due to its prominence and historic status, the electricity challenge is not isolated to this neighbourhood alone. Many communities within Ibadan and Oyo State are reporting increasingly unreliable supply — often with little or no communication from service providers. Some residents describe periods with no power for weeks, months, or just sporadic hours of supply, a situation echoed by other urban centres across Nigeria.
📊 How the Federal Government and Minister Adebayo Adelabu Are Responding
Given the ongoing power crisis, especially in major population centres like Ibadan, public expectations for government action have intensified. This is particularly the case because Power Minister Adebayo Adelabu is also a key political figure from Oyo State, and some citizens expect local benefit from national role.
Here’s a breakdown of what the Ministry of Power has publicly committed to:
✅ 1. Grid Stabilisation and Restoration
In late 2025 and early 2026, Minister Adelabu assured Nigerians that efforts are underway to stabilise the grid and restore electricity supply, even in the wake of disruptions caused by pipeline explosions and gas shortages. He stated that emergency repairs were expected to return supply to more normal levels within 24–48 hours following disruptions.
⚡ 2. Infrastructure Upgrades
Adelabu has emphasised the importance of strengthening the grid through investment in transformers, substations, and transmission lines. National figures show that grid capacity and equipment replacement efforts — such as the installation of new transformers — are part of broader reforms, although outcomes vary regionally.
💡 3. Metering and Transparency Initiatives
One of the Ministry’s priorities is the Presidential Metering Initiative, which aims to close Nigeria’s massive metering gap and improve billing transparency. Initiatives supported by the World Bank and federal programmes aim to provide millions of meters — a key step in stabilising revenue flows and encouraging investment into distribution infrastructure.
🔌 4. Collaboration for Local Production
Adelabu has also pushed for collaboration between government agencies like the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) and the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to boost the local production of electrical components and reduce dependency on imported parts, which can slow down repairs and expansions.
🎯 5. Strategic Regional Projects
The Minister has launched targeted commitments to improve power supply in specific regions. For instance, he pledged to end long-standing power deficits in the Ibarapa zone of Oyo State by completing substations to support local electricity distribution.
📈 6. Broader Sector Goals
At national conferences, Adelabu has highlighted ambitious targets, including increasing electricity access via programmes like Mission 300 — a World Bank and African Development Bank initiative — which aims to bring adequate power to millions more Nigerians by 2030.
🧠 Why the Crisis Persists Despite Efforts
Despite these efforts, many residents remain sceptical. Some Nigerians describe government statements about grid improvements as overly optimistic or not matched by on-the-ground realities. For example, labour groups have criticised statistics claiming millions now enjoy adequate electricity, emphasising that the lived experience of daily outages contradicts these claims.
A key reason for continued dissatisfaction is that policy measures often take time to materialise into reliable service — particularly in a complex, fragmented sector that has endured decades of under-investment and structural decay. Moreover, many proposed reforms hinge on improved performance by distribution companies and increased investment in infrastructure — both of which have proven hard to accelerate.
📌 Conclusion
The deterioration of electricity supply in Bodija and across Ibadan is not due to a single cause or policy failure. Instead, it is the result of:
Reduced allocation from the national grid,
Weak and ageing infrastructure,
Gas-supply constraints,
Underperforming distribution companies,
Long-standing structural deficiencies,
And delayed implementation of key infrastructure upgrades.
While Minister Adebayo Adelabu and the Federal Government have outlined plans and initiatives to stabilise and expand Nigeria’s power sector, the impacts are unevenly felt, especially in areas like Bodija where residents have endured years of unreliable power. The installation of new transformers, improved grid management, metering reforms, and infrastructure partnerships are steps in the right direction — but the ultimate measure of success will be consistent, stable electricity delivered to homes and businesses across Ibadan and beyond.
For Bodija residents, the hope remains that the critical installation of the 100 MVA transformer and other targeted interventions will soon translate into real-world improvements, bringing an end to prolonged blackouts and affirming that Nigeria’s energy reforms are indeed benefiting everyday citizens.
0 Comments