Residents Petition Lagos CP Over Activities Of Ikeja Electric Officers

CYRIACUS IZUEKWE

Lagos residents under the aegis of Ailegun/Buknor, Ejigbo Youth Development Association have written a petition against the officers of  Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) in the area to the Lagos State Commissioner of Police over the officers’ alleged criminal activity to enrich themselves. 

Apart from corruption, they complained of neglect and poor services of the company (IKEDC) in the area.

Members of the group, who protested in Lagos few days ago, decried the failure of IKEDC to deploy prepaid meters in the area, deliberate refusal to read old meters, distribution of outrageous bills, and erratic supply of electricity.

The group urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe the sudden wealth of some of the staffs of the company in the area and some members of the community Development Association who collide with them to rip-off over 19,000 houses in the area.

According to the chairman of the group, Ugochukwu Agwunwa, “the community has repeatedly begged IE to deploy prepaid meters to the community with no result because officers of IE allegedly created that problem because of the gains they are making from estimated bills.

“They usually bring huge bills every month. When residents fail to pay, they come with their ladders to disconnect electricity.

“The people are tired and they demand that their prepaid meters be installed so that they could pay for what they consume.

“We have written to all the IKEDC offices in Oke-afa, Okota, Ikeja, but they have failed to intervene. We are tired of estimated bills and, worst still, the method employed at arriving at such bills only point to the fact that IE is inefficient.”

They also alleged that some of the CDA leaders connive with these corrupt IKEDC officials and even encourage them to disconnect residents’ wires.

“There are 19,000 customers in our community. They have provided prepaid meters for communities in the interior and left us to our fate.

“We are no longer going to tolerate this. We are ready to fight until our areas are flooded with prepaid meters.”

They also alleged that one of the IKEDC officers owns a transport company, while one of them recently bought a block of six bedroom flat.”