The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has announced a temporary power outage in parts of Ibadan, Oyo State, as it carries out routine maintenance on one of its major electricity facilities.
The planned outage, which took place on Tuesday, affected several communities, including areas along the Express corridor, Industrial zones, and Oluyole. The disruption followed the shutdown of a 100MVA 132/33kV transformer at the Ayede Transmission Substation.
In a statement issued by the General Manager of Public Affairs at TCN, Ndidi Mbah, the company explained that the maintenance exercise was scheduled to run from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
According to the statement, the exercise is part of the company’s routine checks aimed at keeping its equipment in good condition and ensuring stable power supply in the long run.
“The Transmission Company of Nigeria hereby notifies the public of scheduled maintenance of one of its 100MVA 132/33kV power transformers at the Ayede Transmission Substation,” the statement read.
Mbah noted that the maintenance became necessary to allow engineers carry out important inspections and servicing of the transformer.
“The maintenance exercise will enable TCN engineers carry out routine checks on the transformer to ensure continued optimal performance,” she said.
As a result of the shutdown, the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) was unable to supply electricity to customers in the affected areas during the period of the exercise.
“Consequently, IBEDC will be unable to off-take electricity for its customers in Express, Industrial, and Oluyole areas today alone, within the stated period,” the statement added.
The development led to several hours of blackout in the affected communities, with residents and business owners adjusting their activities to cope with the temporary loss of power.
In many parts of Ibadan, electricity supply has been a major concern for years, with frequent outages affecting homes, small businesses, and large industries. While some outages are unplanned, others, like the one announced by TCN, are scheduled to allow for maintenance and upgrades.
A local business owner in the Oluyole area said the outage affected his daily operations but acknowledged the importance of maintaining the power system.
“We depend on electricity for our work, so any outage affects us,” he said. “But if it is for maintenance, then it is better than having a sudden breakdown that could last for days.”
Another resident in the Industrial area said he had to rely on a generator during the outage, adding to his cost of living.
“Fuel is expensive, so using a generator is not easy,” he said. “But we understand that they need to fix the equipment.”
Nigeria’s power sector is structured into three main parts: generation, transmission, and distribution. TCN is responsible for transmitting electricity from power generation companies to distribution companies like IBEDC, which then supply electricity to end users.
Any disruption at the transmission level, such as maintenance work on transformers or transmission lines, can affect the ability of distribution companies to deliver power to customers.
The Ayede Transmission Substation, where the maintenance took place, is one of the key facilities that supply electricity to parts of Ibadan and surrounding areas. Ensuring that its equipment is in good working condition is considered important for maintaining stable electricity supply.
Over the years, the federal government and stakeholders in the power sector have made efforts to improve electricity supply across the country. These efforts include upgrading infrastructure, increasing generation capacity, and carrying out regular maintenance.
However, challenges such as aging equipment, funding issues, and growing demand for electricity continue to affect the sector.
TCN, in its statement, apologised to residents and businesses affected by the outage, assuring them that the maintenance work was necessary and would help improve service delivery.
“We regret any inconvenience caused to electricity consumers in the affected areas,” the company said.
For many residents of Ibadan, the outage served as a reminder of the need for continued investment in the power sector to ensure more reliable electricity supply.
Some residents called on authorities to speed up efforts to improve infrastructure so that outages, whether planned or unplanned, can be reduced to the bare minimum.
“We need better electricity in this country,” a trader in the Express area said. “It affects everything we do, from business to daily living.”
Despite the temporary inconvenience, TCN maintained that the maintenance exercise was part of its commitment to ensuring a more stable and efficient power system.
As electricity demand continues to grow in cities like Ibadan, experts say regular maintenance and upgrades will remain necessary to keep the system running smoothly.
For now, power supply has been restored to the affected areas following the completion of the maintenance work, but residents say they hope for more consistent electricity in the future.