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Ikorodu community laments outage months after transformer collapses

By Kehinde Olatunji
22 November 2019   |   4:21 am
Resident in Rofo community, Odogunya, Ikorodu North Council Area of Lagos, are currently living in darkness as Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company is yet to respond to their plight three months after the transformer serving the area packed up.

[FILES] Resident in Rofo community, Odogunya, Ikorodu North Council Area of Lagos, are currently living in darkness.

Resident in Rofo community, Odogunya, Ikorodu North Council Area of Lagos, are currently living in darkness as Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company is yet to respond to their plight three months after the transformer serving the area packed up.

The transformer, located in front of Jaco Block Industry in Rofo Estate, was said to have broken down since August and was eventually taken away to Ikeja in early September with a promise that it would be replaced.

However, the people have been living in darkness since then after several meetings between the residents and the electricity workers. The problem was said to be over-loading of the transformer, which has been serving the entire area since 2002. Some of the residents, who spoke with The Guardian, lamented that the long delay in fixing or replacing the transformer had made life unbearable for them.

One of the residents, who gave her name as Tosin, explained that when the transformer packed up in August, all residents in Zones 3, 4 and 5 were told to pay double the electricity bills they were given in July.

“They told us that the only condition for them to commence repair or replace the transformer was for us to pay double of our last electricity bills,” she said. “We actually paid. A few days later, they came and took the transformer away to Ikeja. That was over three months now. Since then, we have been in total darkness.”

Another resident of Rofo community, Kunle, stated that the long delay in replacing the transformer had made life unbearable for them, adding, “Rofo Estate is one of the major communities accommodating students of Lagos State Polytechnics. We also have factory workers residing here. Since this problem started in August, a majority of the students had relocated. Those who don’t have the money to pay for new rent in other areas managed to stay.

“The raining season is over and now that we are now in the heat period, I doubt if the students can cope. Another major problem we are facing is the issue of cultism. The cultists normally use the cover of darkness to perpetrate their evil plans. Life is unbearable for us now. We are facing issues of bad roads, erosion and now electricity problem. Even before the transformer packed up, we were having issues concerning over-billing due to absence of pre-paid meters. The government should come to our rescue.”

Efforts to speak with Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company’s manager in-charge of electricity distribution in Rofo Estate, Mr. Kazzem, were unsuccessful.

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