Residents and business owners in Magodo Phase One Estate in the Isheri area of Ogun State want Ikeja Electric to raise the estate’s power tariff to Band A.
The residents, who spoke with PUNCH Metro in various interviews on Wednesday, expressed their frustration over the prolonged blackout in the area, highlighting its negative impact on businesses and schools within the community.
The Chairman of Magodo Phase One, Otunba Adeleke, mentioned that the estate had sent a letter to Ikeja Electric expressing their willingness to pay a higher amount in electricity bills. However, the firm responded saying they lacked the required funds for such an upgrade.
He noted that if the blackout situation is not resolved, the estate residents will stage a protest.
He said, “All along we have had a steady supply, and all of a sudden, we noticed that other zones have electricity but we do not.
“Our problem is that we have been ready to pay more, and we have signed an agreement with Ikeja Electric for a premium (Band A), but they have refused to execute it with the excuse that they do not have the capacity.
“We wanted to stage a protest, but we suspended it. We have reached an agreement that on Thursday we will carry placards. It has nothing to do with payment because Magodo GRA is ready to pay.”
Similarly, the Vice Chairman of the estate, Henry Adeyemi, said the intermittent power supply has negatively impacted businesses and schools in the area.
“We have been receiving quite an unreliable supply of power from Ikeja Electric, and at some point, the light did not even flicker, and that has caused a lot of problems in the estate. Schools and businesses are greatly affected by the issue. We are ready to pay for an upgrade, so I do not think money is the problem.”
In a letter seen by our correspondent, estate residents expressed their displeasure at the organisation’s denial of proportional electricity supply to the area based on the tariff rate the residents are paying.
The letter partly read, “Therefore, we hereby express our displeasure with your poor services, the deliberate action of your organisation to deny our area of commensurate electricity supply to the tariff rate we are being charged, and your refusal to address our complaints.
“We are indeed constrained to officially lodge our complaints about the unfair treatment we are receiving from your organisation with the National Electricity Regulatory Corporation for the unfair tariff rate we have been paying since November 2023. We have observed this unreliable power supply.”
When contacted, the spokesperson for the IE, Kingsley Okotie, stated that the majority of load centres are experiencing problems with equipment vandalism and a shortage of gas for the power plants, adding that the company is attempting to provide a long-term solution.
“Most of the load centres where we receive power have significant limitations. I think they gave out a publication last week trying to explain the various challenges they are experiencing, including vandalism of their equipment, a shortage of gases for the power plants, and other issues that they are trying to resolve arising from the last system collapse that we had.
“After the system collapse, things have been unstable and it is affecting us. At the moment, all we can do is ask our customers for understanding. It's not just a problem for Ikeja Electric, but a chain issue that we are working to solve with all involved parties. It's a serious power shedding problem, and we are being transparent about it.
Okotie said they will solve all these issues and return to normal.
