Magodo residents laud first-year ‘milestone’ of improved power

Ije-ododo community protests against estimated billing

Some residents of Lagos under the network of Ikeja Electric have lauded one year of the ‘Willing Buyer, Willing Seller’ initiative.

The bilateral power service promises customers a minimum of 20 hour-power supply and improved service in exchange for cost-reflective tariffs.

This initiative, which kicked off in August 2019, was first implemented in Magodo Phase 2 and was later adopted by Diamond Estate, Magodo Brooks, Ogudu GRA, Ikeja GRA, Abule Onigbagbo, G. Cappa, Omole Phase I&II, Maryland Crescent, Shonibare, Hilltop Aboru, River Valley and Adebowale Senbanjo estates.

According to the DisCo, since the commencement of the initiative in Magodo Phase 2, it has consistently delivered an average of 22-hour power supply, in addition to dedicated customer service and technical fault clearing crew.

A resident of Magodo Phase 2, Tim Akano, while assessing the initiative in the last one year, said: “It is a great beginning. It can only get better. Gratitude to all who made it happen. We are in a far better position today than we were 365 days ago. We paid more but the generator noise and fumes together with quarrel it used to bring among neighbours are now histories.”

Also commenting on the initiative, Wole Oyedepo said: “It has been a great improvement though at a cost to us. But I have enjoyed it and we are not there yet as we have plenty of room for improvement. I appreciate the dedication and the response level of the team serving us.”

Speaking on the first anniversary of bilateral power arrangement, Folake Soetan, Chief Executive Officer, Ikeja Electric, said results achieved so far speak volumes of the sustainability and reliability of the model.

According to her, “the initiative has surpassed expectations, delivered quality service and steady supply that meets the need of our customers, whilst Ikeja Electric remains committed to constantly improving in service delivery in line with its mantra – customer first, technology now.”

Meanwhile, aggrieved residents of Abule Ayi Community Development Association (CDA), Ije-ododo in Iba Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of Lagos have written letters to Ikeja Electric and the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to protest against estimated billing despite a repeated appeal to the distribution company.

Chairman of the CDA, Pastor Babatunde Olusegun, said the community hadcomplained to Ikeja Electric since 2016 on frequent and prolong power outage, for which the residents were still billed. He, therefore, called on Ikeja Electric to stop arbitrary billings and reverse all accumulated charges, while also providing residents with prepaid meters.

The chairman said the community provided materials to effect repairs on infrastructure in some streets within the CDA and notified the company since March 2017 but nothing has been done besides onsite inspection.

Olusegun said: “On Jerusalem Street, since 2017, the CDA bought and erected 13 concrete poles but up till now, our request to Ikeja Electric to run wires on them is yet to be granted.”