Lagos estate residents protest 5-month blackout after N15m transformer donation

Residents of Love Estate, Ikorodu-Elepe are currently living in darkness as Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company, IKEDC, is yet to respond to their plight five months after the transformer serving the area packed up.

The residents said the prolonged absence of electricity has made them vulnerable to attacks from marauders who operate under the cover of darkness.

They also said the situation had also grounded their businesses and other activities that rely on electricity.

A cross-section of the residents who spoke with newsmen said that despite the fact that the community donated a N15 million transformer to IKEDC pending the return of the faulty one, it had not been energised, two months after.

A resident, Emmanuel Ayanda, said the five-month blackout has encouraged robbery, saying, “as we know, when there is no light, it is easy to perpetrate different types of crime”

Ayanda said immediately the estate’s transformer developed faults and IKEDC was not forthcoming, the community contributed N15 million to purchase a new transformer which was “donated” to IKEDC.

He said that despite the fact that the donation of the transformer was accepted and all necessary official steps were followed, the electricity distribution company refused to energise it and also failed to return the faulty one.

Ayanda said residents had been spending a whole lot on buying fuel to power their generators in the last five months while economic activities have been paralysed.

“I don’t know where this country is heading. Our faulty transformer was taken away for repairs for more than four months and is yet to be returned.

“Each household contributed N75,000 amounting to more than N15 million to purchase a new transformer and yet it has not been installed nor energised by IKEDC.

“In an ideal society, are we the ones to be running after IKEDC to return the transformer they took away or to buy a new one for them knowing fully well that they use the same transformer to generate income,” he said.

Credit: dailypost.ng

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