Residents of Maya Olorijo Estate in the Ikorodu area of Lagos State, on Monday, staged a peaceful protest over a prolonged power outage that has persisted for about 18 months.
The demonstrators said the extended blackout has disrupted economic activities, weakened livelihoods, and created severe hardship within the community.
The protest, which involved landlords and youths, saw participants march to the Ikeja Electric Business District in the Alogba area, displaying placards and chanting in unison to draw attention to their plight.
Some of the placards bore messages such as, “18 months in darkness, killing Olorijo” and “18 months, no light for creditworthy customers, bring back our transformer.”
Speaking during the demonstration, Chairman of the Olorijo Community Development Association, Victor Ologhobo, explained that the crisis began after a transformer serving the estate developed a fault.
He said officials of Ikeja Electric removed the faulty transformer on January 13, 2025, for repairs, but it has yet to be returned.
According to him, the absence of electricity since then has made daily living and business operations increasingly difficult for residents.
“We are not asking for too much, give us a new transformer or repair and return the one taken from our community.
“For more than 18 months, local business owners have highlighted the severe impact of total darkness, noting that reliance on fuel-powered generators has significantly increased operational costs.
“We cannot continue like this; armed robbers disturb us, and we spend a lot of money on fuel and hiring local vigilantes,” he said.
In response, the Business Manager of Ikeja Electric in Ikorodu, Emmanuel Iberuche, apologised to the residents for the prolonged delay.
He attributed the situation to procedural requirements and administrative bottlenecks involved in repairing or replacing transformers, adding that the company also incurs losses when customers are without power supply.
Iberuche assured the protesters that their concerns would be escalated to the company’s headquarters for necessary action.
Earlier, the Head of the Technical Unit at Ikeja Electric, Samuel Odukoya, stated that once approval is secured, the transformer would be installed at no cost to the community.
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