—By The Merit Newspaper Correspondent
Abigi, Ogun State — For more than ten years, residents of Ogun Waterside Local Government Area in Ogun State have lived in persistent darkness, cut off from the national grid in what many are now describing as a humanitarian crisis hidden in plain sight.
In a heartfelt appeal gathered by The Merit Newspaper, a coalition of concerned citizens from the area is calling on the Ogun State Government, the Federal Ministry of Power, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), and the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) to urgently restore electricity to the affected communities.
The group’s representative, speaking under anonymity due to fear of political victimization, lamented the impact of the decade-long blackout on the region’s education, healthcare, and economic sectors.
“Our children study with candles and kerosene lamps. Many hospitals rely on petrol-powered generators, which are too expensive to run consistently. Businesses have collapsed, and young people are migrating to urban centers in search of better opportunities,” the source said.
Ogun Waterside, a largely agrarian local government situated on the southeastern edge of Ogun State, bordering Ondo and Lagos, has been virtually disconnected from development efforts, despite its rich aquatic resources and tourism potential. The absence of electricity has worsened insecurity in the area and stifled the digital inclusion of its growing youth population.
According to residents, the power outage began due to a technical fault on the transmission line connecting the area to the national grid—a problem that has yet to be addressed after successive promises from government officials and distribution companies.
“Electricity is not a luxury—it is a right,” said the concerned citizen. “We are not asking for too much. We just want to be treated like every other community in Ogun State.”
The call for restoration has now gained momentum on social media under the hashtags #BringBackOurLight and #JusticeForOgunWaterside, with many Nigerians expressing shock that such a large part of the state could be abandoned for so long without a reliable electricity supply.
Efforts to reach officials at IBEDC and the Ogun State Ministry of Energy were unsuccessful as of press time. However, residents say they are prepared to stage peaceful demonstrations if tangible steps are not taken in the coming weeks.
The Ogun State Government has previously indicated interest in rural electrification projects, but communities like Ogun Waterside continue to await action.
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As the nation discusses energy transition and digital economy reforms, the plight of Ogun Waterside serves as a stark reminder that progress must be inclusive—and that no community should be left behind in the dark, both literally and figuratively.
