Residents of Sobe community in Owan West Local Government Area of Edo State have strongly criticised the Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Blessing Agbebaku, over what they describe as repeated unfulfilled promises to restore electricity to the area.
The community has remained without electricity supply for over eight years. In a letter addressed to the Speaker and signed by Prince Ogbeta Joseph, the residents stated that for the past three years, Agbebaku had continually assured them of intervention while only asking them to “be patient.”
According to the letter, patience has neither restored power nor brought jobs, development, or renewed hope to the people. The community expressed particular disappointment that when they reminded the Speaker of his earlier pledges, he allegedly challenged them to contest for the House of Assembly themselves if they wanted to end the prolonged darkness.
The letter further recalled that during the Sobe Day celebration last September, Agbebaku publicly promised a N1 million donation to the community — as he had done two years earlier — and also assured residents that he would work with the governor to restore electricity to Sobe before December. Nearly a year later, the community remains in total darkness.
“This letter is not written to attack your person or diminish your achievements. It is a sincere appeal from a loyal community asking only for fairness, inclusion, and the fulfilment of promises freely made. Sobe is not asking for special treatment. We are only asking not to be forgotten,” the letter stated.
Responding to the concerns, Speaker Agbebaku maintained that the Sobe electrification project has not been abandoned and remains an active priority he has consistently pursued as the representative of the people.
He explained that due process requires the project to be captured in the state budget before execution can commence. Agbebaku described the project as a major capital infrastructure undertaking that involves extending electricity from Sabongidda-Ora to Sobe. Owing to its scale and the significant financial commitment required, technical assessments and quotations have already been completed and submitted to the appropriate authorities.
Consequently, he said the project is being processed for inclusion in the forthcoming 2027 fiscal year budget, which will be presented later this year.
In a separate social media engagement, Agbebaku also noted that he had previously installed solar street lights in Sobe, questioning critics who, according to him, overlook that intervention while complaining about the main electricity project.
The exchange highlights the growing frustration of residents in Sobe over prolonged power outages and the Speaker’s insistence that the larger electrification project remains on the government’s agenda for future budget consideration.