Tenants Move From Idowu Egba Community As Landlords Protest Over Incessant Power Outrage & Crazy Bills

MICHAEL AKINOLA

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the tenants, who rented apartments in the area, were said to moving out from the area over poor electricity while the landlords could not have water in the area due to power failure for years now.

Following the ugly situation, the Landlords and some tenants came out in good numbers and marched to the Ikeja Electric Company’s office in Igando protesting over their predicament in the area. 

The angry protesters carried placards with different inscriptions such as Enough is enough!,  IKEDC give us light!,  no light, no bill, Stop Exploitation!,  the injustice is too much! etc.

Speaking during the protest, the spokesperson of the residents, Comrade Aligbe, stated that their woes over power failure started three years ago. They reportedly went to Ikeja Electric Company and the power distribution company told the residents that they should buy prepaid meters to avoid load shedding of the light because the only transformer they had in the area, donated by a resident, was faulty and could not give steady power supply. 

He stated that the residents, through their Landlords, paid for the prepaid meters but they did not supply all the meters and the situation got worse as they hardly get power supply up to 28 hours in a month. 

Comrade Aligbe stated that despite the fact that they were nothing having steady power supply, every month the electricity bills continued to increase, piling up with estimated bills in the whole area. 

He said the latest power outage started when the company asked them to pay for additional N14,000 for the remaining prepaid meters they had paid for over three years, which they did not supply.

This may have caused the Ikeja Electric Company to have decided to completely disconnect power from the high tension cables connected to the area for the past weeks.

The residents are requesting for the restoration of light in the area, replacing their transformer as they promised, supplying their prepaid meters, which they had paid for and stoppage of the bringing of electricity bills, which they had not used for several months. 

In response, the Assistant Manager of Ikeja Electric Company,  Amini Sali, asked the protesting residents that they should blame their woes on Federal Government which did not supply the prepaid meters resulting in demand for additional money for the meters they had paid for. He asked them to send the details of the payments so that they will make a representation to the management on their behalf. 

Mr. Sali stated that the community was actually disconnected for days stating that it was not done deliberately. He stressed that there was breakdown of energy in the country and promised that they will connect the community back and restore light in the area. 

However, he did not address the payment of estimated bills and the bills they were dishing out to the residents since they had disconnected them for several months.