Omolabake Fasogbon
Residents of Forthright Gardens Estate in Magboro, Ogun State, have decried weeks of blackout, noting that repeated engagements with the authorities have yielded no results.
As a Band B estate, residents are entitled to between 12 and 16 hours of daily power supply. However, the estate chairman, Mr. Adenola Quadri, explained that they have instead endured weeks of darkness, interrupted only by occasional, brief flashes of electricity.
He noted that while residents pay high tariffs under the band B category, they have been denied the corresponding service, plunging the community into severe crisis.
According to Quadri, Ikeja Electric Distribution Company (IKEDC) officials have consistently blamed the failure on a faulty Akute Feeder.
“While we acknowledge that technical faults happen, it is unacceptable that the same explanation is repeated with no lasting solution in sight.
“How many times must we hear ‘Akute Feeder fault’ before it is fixed? At what point does a recurring fault cease to be an excuse and become evidence of systemic neglect?” The chairman queried.
He lamented that residents are trapped in uncertainty, with no idea how much longer they must endure a crisis that has paralyzed their social and economic lives.
“Families are struggling to preserve food and medication, while small businesses incur heavy losses from relying on alternative power. Students preparing for exams, the elderly, nursing mothers and remote workers are all counting their losses,” he added.
Echoing the chairman’s concerns, residents called on the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), consumer protection agencies, and civil society groups to intervene.
Sharing her ordeal, Mrs. Sote, a nursing mother in the estate, said: “I should be focusing on recovering and caring for my newborn, but the prolonged outage has made life unbearable. The heat keeps my baby awake at night, and the stress and cost of running a generator have only added to our burden.”
Another resident, Mr. Samson E.D., bemoaned the financial strain. “This is taking a heavy toll on our finances and well-being. We are spending our average monthly electricity budget on petrol in less than two days. We can no longer bear this or stay silent. Something must change now.”
Similarly, Samuel Adebayo highlighted the domestic impact, saying: “This has hit my family hard. We’ve lost thousands of naira in spoiled food because nothing stays refrigerated. My children can’t study at night, sleeping in the heat is tough, and basic chores are a daily struggle. Worse is the uncertainty. We don’t even know when stable power will return despite paying our bills.”
The residents are demanding immediate restoration of stable supply, a public explanation for the persistent Akute feeder failures, a detailed timeline for permanent repairs, compliance with Band B service obligations, and compensation or credit for extended outage.
Contacted for reaction, spokesperson for IKEDC, Kingsley Okotie, said he would revert after consulting relevant quarters.
He had not done so as of press time.
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