About 40 communities in Ibadan, Oyo State, have been thrown into darkness after a windstorm destroyed major electricity infrastructure belonging to the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC). This marks the second power outage caused by a storm in the city in less than two weeks.
The latest incident occurred on Thursday, July 3, 2025, around 8:10 PM, during a heavy rainstorm that battered parts of the city. IBEDC confirmed in a statement on Sunday that the storm led to the collapse of eight high-tension concrete poles and overhead lines on the NBL 33kV feeder near Akobo Bridge.
According to the utility company, the damage resulted in a total blackout on the NBL feeder, affecting major substations such as Olorunsogo and Olunde, while only the Airtel base station at Ojoo remained unaffected.
The power outage has hit residential, commercial, and critical service areas, including Olorunsogo, Sawia, Amuloko, Akanran, Ilaji, Olunde, Olomi, Orita Aperin, Agugu, Olosunde, Oke Ofa, Gbaremu, Ogbere, Yidi, Oremeji, Muslim, Onila, Seminbio, Egbeda Tuba, Apete Jakan, Ogundepo, Oke Ogbere, Adeyeri, Ifesowapo, Adegbayi, Iyana Agbala, Adekola, Bioku Araba, Iyana Aba Otun, Irepokun, Masopa, Alakia, Akintola, Airport, Akingbade, Olaogun, Hope, Ire Akari, Gbagi and their surroundings.
IBEDC stated that technical teams were dispatched immediately after the storm to clear fallen cables and prevent further hazards. By 11:00 PM the same night, the faulty section of the feeder was isolated to ensure public safety.
“We are working round the clock to restore electricity, but the extent of the damage is extensive,” the company said in the statement. “We apologise for the inconvenience and appeal for patience and understanding from our esteemed customers.”
Business owners and residents in the affected areas have lamented the outage, describing it as frustrating and calling on IBEDC to speed up repair efforts and put in place measures to prevent such recurring incidents. Some traders said their businesses have suffered losses due to spoilage of perishable goods and disruptions to daily operations.
This recent blackout follows another storm-related outage just weeks earlier. In that case, over 20 communities along the Gbagi-Olubadan Estate axis on New Ife Express Road were plunged into darkness after a similar weather event destroyed critical infrastructure, including high-tension poles, transformers, and the Alakia 7.5 MVA Injection Substation.
That earlier incident had damaged the Alakia 33kV, Adogba 33kV, and New Ife Road 11kV feeders, affecting several densely populated and industrial parts of the city. Repairs from that event were still ongoing when last week’s storm struck, further worsening the electricity supply situation in Ibadan.
The frequent damage to power infrastructure during storms is raising questions about the resilience of the distribution network in the face of increasingly erratic weather patterns. Some residents are calling for a comprehensive infrastructure upgrade by IBEDC, including the use of stronger poles and better insulation systems to withstand wind and rainstorms.
Others are appealing to the Oyo State Government to intervene and support the utility firm in reinforcing critical installations that serve thousands of homes and businesses in the state capital.
As Ibadan continues to battle repeated power outages caused by weather, experts have also urged the government to collaborate with power companies in developing climate-resilient infrastructure, warning that Nigeria’s growing vulnerability to climate change could worsen the country’s already unstable power supply.
