Residents Protest Chronic Power Cuts in Ikorodu, Accuse Ikeja Electric of “Selling Darkness”
By Emmanuel Daniji
Hundreds of residents from Ikorodu Local Government Area on Wednesday staged a protest over persistent power outages, accusing Ikeja Electric of failing to provide stable electricity supply despite regular billing.
The demonstration, organised under the Joint Erunwen Community Development Forum, saw participants drawn from 18 registered Community Development Associations (CDAs) and other groups, representing an estimated population of about 300,000 residents.
Affected communities include Riverview, Efundara, Gateway, Ogunaike, Elite, Frontline, Lascomed, Ekiti, Surulere, Olorisha Oko, Green View, Balogun, Pearl, Likeminds, A & G, Sunshine and Oyefusi.
Carrying placards with inscriptions condemning the erratic supply, the protesters marched through parts of Ikorodu, chanting solidarity songs and demanding urgent intervention. Many described the electricity situation as worsening over the years, alleging that what they receive is “darkness, not electricity.”
Speaking during the protest, Maxwell Olowosoki, chairman of the Ikorodu Joint Communities, said the power challenges date back to 2017, citing frequent outages, severe load shedding and overloaded transformers. According to him, the unstable supply has negatively affected businesses, increased operational costs and heightened security concerns in the area.
He also alleged that repeated promises by the distribution company to provide a new injection substation to ease pressure on existing infrastructure have yet to materialise, leaving residents dependent on unreliable power supply.
In response, officials of Ikeja Electric engaged representatives of the protesters and appealed for calm, urging dialogue as the appropriate channel for resolving the dispute. A company spokesperson explained that operational concerns within Ikorodu fall under the jurisdiction of its Ikorodu Business Unit, which serves as the first point of escalation for community complaints.
The spokesperson added that unresolved matters are subsequently escalated to the company’s headquarters and assured residents that a roundtable meeting involving corporate representatives, the Business Unit and community leaders would be convened to address the issues raised.
The protest underscores ongoing concerns over electricity distribution in the area, with residents insisting on improved service delivery, while the distribution company maintains that structured engagement remains the pathway to lasting solutions.
