Jakande Estate Residents Tackle Ikeja Electric over Epileptic Power Supply, Crazy Bills

Solomon Elusoji

Members of the Estate Youth Forum (EYF) in the Jakande Estate in the Oke-Afa area of Isolo, Lagos, are not happy with the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company over the epileptic supply of power to the area and unjustifiable billing and decadent infrastructure.

The group in letter addressed to the Managing Director of Ikeja Electric, narrated the terrible ordeal of residents within its jurisdiction despite the fact they “happen to be the community that pays the most in Oke-Afa/Ejigbo axis.”

They frowned at the constant supply of power to other areas of Oke-Afa and its environs, leaving out the estate, wondering why they should be discriminated against when they use the same sub-station.

In the two letters addressed to the company titled: ‘The Epileptic Supply of Power to our Estate’ and ‘Why do we have to pay more for so much darkness’, the estate residents claimed that Ikeja Electric poor service to the community was mostly as a result of “deliberate technical oversight by the station manager assigned to them and their inconsiderate assumptions and relevant authorities.

For several years, the group explained in the letter, several station managers have approached the estate residents to adopt a light sharing formula, an idea which was rebutted.

“We believe because of that we’ve been denied regular and consistent power supply as we use to have,” the youth alleged.

Currently, the estate, according to the EYF, is supplied power for only four hours a day-two hours at dawn (4a.m. to 6a.m.) and another two hours after dawn (8a.m. to 10a.m.).

The group also took issue with Ikeja Electric inability to supply the community with prepaid meters, when others around it have been attended to.

“We want to know the reasons your officials want to put us through unnecessary stress just to get prepaid meters,” the group said.

Lack of prepaid meters, the group argued, has given impetus to the advent of estimated and ‘crazy bills’.

“Some of the areas that share power supply with the estate do not have meters and as such, pay almost nothing for electrical bills and we, the estate community, pay so much for power supply,” the group lamented.

They also complained about the sub-standard power infrastructure in the estate.

“We want to know the reason why the estate will have to continually use sub-standard 70mm high tension aluminum wires when we can and should get 150mm aluminum wires,” the group said.

Apparently, as part of responses to the group’s demands, Ikeja Electric informed the community of plans to upgrade its power facilities from 30KVA to 100KVA, a project that was scheduled to be completed in November 2017.

But, as at press time, the project is yet to be completed.

“How long will the inauguration take?” the group queried.