Residents of Akoka in Lagos State have expressed their frustrations over an alleged poor electricity supply despite being classified under Band A, which guarantees a minimum of 20 hours of daily power supply.
On Tuesday, the residents staged a peaceful protest, demanding urgent intervention from the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company.
Carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Akoka is totally neglected,” and “Save our souls in Akoka,” the protesters decried the dire impact of erratic power on their livelihoods.
Many lamented how the sudden decline from regular electricity to a meager two hours daily had thrown their community into disarray.
One of the protesters, speaking on behalf of the residents, revealed that despite multiple appeals to the nearest IKEDC office, their complaints had been ignored.
“Yes, we have agreed that we have been moved to Band A. We paid for Band A, but we do not have light. We have been starving. We went from having a constant power supply to barely having a two-hour supply daily. It is affecting our businesses. It is affecting our environment. Everywhere is polluted. Everywhere is no longer comfortable,” she lamented.
Describing their grievances further, she said: “So, we are here peacefully to demonstrate the level of discomfort and how unhappy we feel. We have been going to the Ikeja Electric office close to our community but they’ve refused to answer us. And that is why we are gathered here this morning. So, we are pleading to Ikeja Electric and the appropriate authorities to listen to our cries to save our communities. Akoka has always been a good community, and we want it to remain like this.”
The residents explained that the power shortage not only affects households but also small businesses that rely heavily on electricity for their operations.
This, they said, has led to an increase in pollution as many are forced to rely on generators for power.
As of the time of this report, the spokesperson for Ikeja Electric, Kingsley Okotie, had not responded to inquiries regarding the allegations raised by the residents.
The protest highlights a growing concern about the discrepancies between promised power allocations under the Nigerian electricity tariff bands and the actual supply received by customers.
Band A, in particular, is billed for a premium service, with residents paying higher tariffs for the assurance of at least 20 hours of daily electricity.
The situation in Akoka, however, paints a starkly different reality, leaving the community in desperate need of a resolution.
