Residents of Abule-Taylor, in the Abule-Egba area of Lagos State, on Tuesday staged a protest over the theft of electricity transformer cables, giving Ikeja Electric Distribution Company (IKEDC) a 24-hour ultimatum to restore power supply to the community.
The protesters, who trooped out in large numbers, expressed frustration over the prolonged blackout, saying the prevailing hot weather had worsened the hardship faced by residents and business owners.
LAGOS EYE NEWS reports that the transformer cables were allegedly stolen in the early hours of Saturday, leaving about 100 residents without electricity.
Chanting solidarity songs, the protesters demanded immediate intervention by IKEDC, threatening to return to the company’s office in larger numbers if electricity was not restored within the stipulated period.
They urged the electricity distribution company to demonstrate concern for their plight by replacing the stolen cables and restoring power to the affected streets.
The residents also vowed to sustain daily protests until electricity was restored, warning that failure to address the situation could trigger a more intense demonstration.
Expressing their frustration over the impact of the blackout, the residents said food items stored in freezers had spoiled, while businesses had suffered significant losses.
“We are feeling the heat, and everything we have in our freezers has spoiled. Businesses have gone down as a result of this incident,” they lamented.
The affected streets include Thomas Obabunmi, Aina Street and Dada Olowu, where residents have remained without electricity since the incident.
One of the residents, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, alleged that an official of Ikeja Electric had approached a landlord in the community to request financial contributions towards replacing the stolen cables.
He, however, said residents had rejected the proposal, insisting that IKEDC should take responsibility for replacing the cables and securing its transformer facilities.
“The Ikeja Electric official hinted to one of the landlords that residents should contribute money to facilitate the restoration of electricity. But today, we are making it clear that nobody will contribute a dime.
“It is the responsibility of the distribution company to replace the allegedly stolen cables and ensure that the transformer facility is adequately secured,” he said.
The resident further accused the electricity company of failing to reciprocate the community’s support, despite what he described as several efforts by residents to assist its operations.
He claimed that the community had provided space along its street for IKEDC to park its utility vehicles for safety reasons, while local vigilantes had been instructed to monitor the vehicles.
“We have rendered several forms of assistance to them, but because of their irresponsibility and unfriendly attitude towards customers, we cannot continue to do so.
“We even allow them to park their utility vehicles on our street for safety, while our vigilantes keep watch over their property. We also contribute money regularly to ensure the security of those vehicles. What benefits have we received in return? It is over,” he added.
The protesters maintained that residents who regularly pay their electricity bills should not be compelled to make additional financial contributions towards replacing vandalised electricity infrastructure.
They also appealed to the Lagos headquarters of Ikeja Electric to intervene and call the management of its Abule-Taylor Undertaking Office to order.
The residents warned that failure to restore electricity within three days would compel them to intensify their protest and adopt other measures to press home their demands.
LAGOS EYE NEWS reports that the protest comes amid growing frustration among residents over the prolonged blackout, with the community demanding urgent intervention from Ikeja Electric to restore electricity and prevent further hardship.
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