Lagos Assembly Promises To Intervene In EKEDC, Ajah Community Dispute
By Felix Kuyinu
Members of the Lagos State House of Assembly have promised to wade in into the dispute between residents of Royal Garden Estate in Ajah and the Eko Electricity Distribution Company, EKEDC, over the disconnection of the community from the national grid.
The lawmakers, sequel to complaints by the community, stated that a meeting will be held on Tuesday, 23, September, with Royal Garden Estate Residents Association, RGERA, for full notification of their experiences which will be followed with a peace meeting talk involving the power company.
The legislators, in a letter signed by the Clerk of the House, Olalekan Onafeko, disclosed that the dialogue is expected to bring all parties together for deliberations on the lingering electricity and governance disputes.
Prior to the recommendations, the agitators, pointed out that the disconnection on May 26, 2024, which has resulted in power outage, has caused dependence on diesel generators and solar alternatives.
The residents complained of a bulk metering system imposed on the estate, which according to them violates the Electricity Act, 2023.
The remonstrators also alleged the EKEDC of indiscriminate service charges, power disconnections after proof of valid payments and failure to manage sanitation, which are all posing as negatives in the area.
Extracts from a statement tendered by the association reads, “Under the bulk metering arrangement, the estate is billed collectively, leaving individual residents powerless to reconcile their own energy payments with EKEDC.
“Beyond electricity, residents accuse the developer of undermining democratic governance in the estate, imposing decisions without consultation, sniffling the residents’ association and interfering in community projects.”
The estate association pleaded that their disgruntlement is taken into consideration and treated swiftly.
