Electricity Supply Restored To Ikeja Council After 5 Years

MICHAEL AKINOLA

 

Workers at Ikeja Local Government Council secretariat have praised the council Sole Administrator, Engr. Abiodun Taiwo for facilitating the restoration of public power supply to the council after five years of lingering darkness.

The restoration of light at the council on Wednesday 1 March 2017 followed successful negotiation between the council and Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company which had disconnected service to the secretariat since 2012 following the accumulation of unpaid bills amounting to over N10 million.

When P.M.EXPRESS visited the council secretariat, the workers were jubilant because according to them, it’s a dream come through that the council will once again function properly.

One of the workers noted that the absence of light resulted that many times they run skeletal services because of the rationing of diesel used on the huge generating set in the council.

“Many times, we have official documents delayed because the generator comes on at 11am and goes off by 3.30pm. There are days it does not function at all due to unavailability of diesel or due to breakdown. On such days, we will be forced to be redundant,” the excited staff told P.M.EXPRESS.

Attempt by our correspondent to get the reaction of the Sole Administrator, Engr. Taiwo was not fruitful as he was said to have gone on official inspection of projects. But one of his aides, who declined to be named played down the development because according to him, “it’s not a big deal that light is coming back to a council like Ikeja after five years”.

According to the officer, the process of restoring the light started immediately the Sole Administrator was appointed but was delayed by the negotiation process and the usual official protocols from the two sides.

He added that “it’s a pity that the council was thrown into darkness because of debt whereas the situation could have been resolved through dialogue and negotiation. At the end, the council was spending heavily on diesel in running generator”.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that the agreement between the Ikeja Electric and the Council will allow the local government pay off the discounted balance of the accumulated debts over a period of time.

This was described by the Council workers as a very fair deal because it will result in the council saving the huge bill of running generator as well as pay off the lingering debt which is one of the mandates given to the Sole Administrators by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode during their inauguration.