The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) deserves commendation for introducing what may be Nigeria's newest lifestyle programme: "Living Without Electricity for Almost a Month."
Since flooding reportedly affected the Ilerin Injection Substation, residents connected to the Ilaje, Irogbo and Mount Carmel 11kV feeders have been enrolled in an unexpected reality show where the grand prize is... waiting for electricity.
Communities including Oke Ibukun Stadium, Irojo, Ilerin, Isare, Irogbo, Wesley, Odo-Oro, Ayeso, Express Area, Ifewara and several others have become unwilling participants.
At first, customers were informed that power would be restored "as soon as possible."
Days passed.
"As soon as possible."
A week passed.
"As soon as possible."
Two weeks.
"As soon as possible."
Now, as the calendar continues to move forward, many residents have begun to wonder whether "as soon as possible" is an official engineering term known only to IBEDC.
According to the company, the flooding damaged the control room, and safety procedures require equipment to be drained, dried, inspected and certified before electricity can return. Safety is undoubtedly important, and no reasonable customer expects power to be restored recklessly.
However, residents have one simple question: How does a major electricity distribution company become almost completely paralysed for weeks because part of one substation was flooded?
Meanwhile, life has changed dramatically.
Families have rediscovered the beauty of candlelight—not by choice but by necessity.
Children now complete homework under rechargeable lamps that themselves need electricity to recharge.
Generators have become permanent members of many households, while fuel station attendants have become the new beneficiaries of the prolonged outage.
Freezers have quietly retired from active service.
Mobile phones are now treated like newborn babies. Every percentage of battery life is celebrated because finding somewhere to charge has become a daily expedition.
Ironically, electricity bills continue to arrive with remarkable punctuality. IBEDC may not have mastered the speed of power restoration, but its billing system remains an example of operational excellence.
One frustrated resident joked that the company deserves an award for consistency.
"They have supplied us with one thing continuously," he said.
"Apologies."
Indeed, the apologies have been impressive.
First came the official notice.
Then another apology.
Then another explanation.
Then another assurance.
Then another promise that engineers were "working tirelessly."
If hard work were measured by press statements, Ilesa would probably be the brightest city in Nigeria today.
Residents are now considering compiling every IBEDC statement into a motivational book titled "As Soon As Possible: The Power of Endless Hope."
To be fair, no one disputes that natural disasters happen. Flooding can damage infrastructure anywhere in the world.
What citizens find difficult to understand is why restoring a critical electricity installation in a major urban centre appears to have no clear timeline. One month is a long time in the life of households, businesses, hospitals, students and artisans whose livelihoods depend on stable electricity.
Perhaps the greatest achievement of this outage is that it has united the affected communities. Everyone now knows the location of the nearest phone-charging centre. Ice block sellers have become local celebrities, and generator mechanics have never been busier.
As for the rest of us, we continue to wait patiently for the day "as soon as possible" finally arrives.
Until then, darkness remains the most reliable service being distributed.
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