Alausa: Concerned residents and business owners in Arepo, Ogun State, staged a peaceful protest at the Ikeja Electric (IE) office over prolonged poor electricity supply and frequent outages, expressing their frustrations and demanding immediate solutions.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the protest was led by a group known as the Voice of Arepo, with Mr. Weath Sunday as their spokesperson. He highlighted that the community receives between two and five hours of electricity daily, despite being placed on the Band B tariff. Mr. Sunday emphasized the community’s dissatisfaction, noting that frequent visits by IE officials have not resulted in any improvement in power supply. He urged that faulty cables should be replaced and questioned why some areas experience no electricity for extended periods. The unreliable power supply has negatively impacted businesses, damaged appliances, and led to spoilage of food items stored in refrigerators.
Mr. Mudi Charles, another convener of the protest, voiced his concerns over the estimated billing system and the lack of response from IE despite numerous written complaints. He pointed out that neighboring communities on the same tariff band receive better electricity supply and expressed a preference for the previous Band A, under which the community reportedly experienced better service. Mr. Charles noted that the ongoing load shedding is severely affecting local businesses.
In response to the protest, Mr. Ezekiel Olushola, the Technical Lead in charge of Arepo, acknowledged the peaceful nature of the demonstration. He explained that the reduced electricity supply is due to a decline in allocation from the national grid, assuring the protesters that IE can only distribute what is received from the grid.