Who Is Responsible? Lagos Residents Groan as EKEDC, TCN Trade Blame Over Blackout

Kehinde Adeleye

Residents and business owners in parts of Lagos and Ogun states are groaning over reduced electricity supply, with many forced to spend more on fuel and alternative power sources as the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) trade blame over the cause of the disruption.

The development has left households dealing with prolonged periods without electricity, while businesses that depend heavily on power are counting their losses.

For residents, the problem goes beyond the absence of electricity. Many say the disruption means increased spending on fuel for generators, difficulty preserving food and higher operating costs for small businesses.

Some business owners, particularly those operating cold stores, salons, barbing shops and other electricity dependent businesses, have been forced to rely on generators to remain operational.

The affected areas include parts of southern Lagos and the Agbara industrial communities in Ogun State.

EKEDC said its electricity allocation had dropped from 486MW to 347MW, blaming constraints on the national grid and low generation from a major power source.

The distribution company said the reduction had affected supply to customers, including some Band A feeders.

“Due to constraints on the national grid and low generation from a major power source, our power allocation has dropped from 486MW to 347MW,” EKEDC said in a statement issued on Friday.

The company said it had temporarily adjusted supply to some feeders to manage the available electricity, adding that it was working with its transmission partners to restore its allocation.

However, TCN rejected the explanation concerning the transmission incident, saying the disruption was not caused by an outage on its T11 transformer.

According to TCN, the incident was linked to EKEDC’s Oniru 33kV and Agungi 33kV feeders, which reportedly tripped simultaneously at about 4:34am on August 26, 2026, following an overcurrent and earth fault.

TCN said the incident caused the inter tripping of the primary and secondary breakers of its TR1 60MVA 132/33kV transformer, accompanied by a loud bang and smoke.

The transmission company said its maintenance team responded promptly, rehabilitated the damaged secondary breaker and restored the primary and secondary breakers later that day.

TCN, however, said another trip occurred when EKEDC attempted to close its Oniru feeder, with the same relay indications recorded.

While the 2 electricity companies continue to give different explanations, residents say they are more concerned about getting stable electricity than the blame game between the operators.

With the cost of living already putting pressure on households and businesses, prolonged power disruptions mean additional expenses for consumers who have to rely on generators.

For many affected Lagos residents, the message is straightforward: they want the lights back on.