Lagos Island Residents Hit Streets Over Persistent Blackout, Demand Urgent Power Restoration
By Sherif Salau
The Lagos Island residents stormed the streets over a persistent blackout and demanded an uninterrupted power supply. The demonstrators say the prolonged power outages have worsened living conditions, leaving households and businesses struggling amid intense heat.
The protesters lament excessive heat in Lewis, Okesuna, Beecroft, Simpson and Sandgrouse Streets. They are shouting “Restore Light Now,” “We Cannot Survive in Darkness” and
“Enough is Enough.” Many complained that the blackout, which some said had lasted more than 72 hours in parts of the Island, had destroyed perishable goods, halted banking services and forced families to sleep in sweltering heat without fans or refrigerators.
“Our shops are full of spoilt goods. Generators are expensive and diesel is killing us,” said Mrs. Folake Adeyemi, a provision seller at the popular Idumota market area. “We pay bills, yet there is no light. How are we supposed to survive?”
Traders at the lagoon-side markets said the outage had severely affected cold-room operators and food vendors, while residents in nearby estates reported that children could not study and the elderly were struggling without electricity for medical devices and cooling.
The protesters, who gathered in the morning and remained on the streets into the afternoon, called on the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), the Lagos State Government and the Federal Ministry of Power to intervene urgently. They accused the distribution company of poor communication and repeated unfulfilled promises of restoration.
A community leader who identified himself as Chief Tunde Balogun addressed the crowd near the CMS area, urging peaceful conduct while insisting that the people had reached their limit. “We are not troublemakers. We simply want the light that we pay for,” he said. “If the problem is a fault, let them tell us. If it is load-shedding, let them be transparent. Darkness is not a way of life.”
By midday, traffic around the protest points had slowed considerably, with some commercial vehicles diverting to alternative routes. Security personnel monitored the demonstration but largely allowed the peaceful expression of grievances to continue.
Power supply challenges remain a long-standing concern across Lagos, with the Island frequently among the areas hardest hit during prolonged outages. Residents say the latest blackout has been particularly severe, coinciding with intense heat and high commercial activity.
As of press time, there was no immediate official statement from EKEDC on the specific cause of the outage or a firm timeline for full restoration. Protesters vowed to maintain pressure until electricity returns to their homes and businesses.
The demonstration underscores growing public frustration with unreliable power supply in one of Nigeria’s most economically active districts, where the cost of alternative energy continues to strain both households and small-scale enterprises.
