A Consumer, Mr. Chukwudi Samuel publisher of Apex reporters, an online media platform is calling the attention of the FG the atrocities of Ikeja Electric (IKERD) and call the management to order. This is due to his allegation that Ikeja Electric through some of its officials, collected a sum that amounted to about #10,000,000 (ten – million naira) from houses numbering over 500 to replace a problematic transformer that served the area.
Mr. Samuel stated that it is saddening that the power company and the landlords association of (Mogaji Araromi Street, Ifesowapo Street off Community Road Ijegun, Ikotun Alimosho Local Government Area) and other streets forced the residents to cough out (#4,000, documents available for confirmation) each house as of 2013 just to access power, an amenity that should be the natural right of the consumers.
He said that this present Ikeja Electric management inherited these burden from their predecessor and have continued to tow the same atrocious illegal paths.
Mr. Chukwudi Samuel questioned why people or citizens should be forced to buy transformers, in order to get electricity for their use.
According to him, his own area has paid this amount since 2013, but the power authorities only brought a refurbished transformer which lasted for some months before it parked up, stressing again that unfortunately, the transformer has been failing and the people are forced to be paying monthly based on estimation billing process.
Consumers have continued to pay bills as much as #6,000 (six thousand) per flat, despite the regular outage which plunges households in darkness.
Several incoherent messages have been coming from the power companies to justify the outages, even while they continue to keep the homes in perpetual darkness and powerlessness at a time when power is requisite for comfort and economic stability.
There is also an estate in Ibeju Lekki where each house is expected to pay #40, 000 (forty thousand naira) for a transformer of #3.5m to be installed for them, even though they don’t have light, they are still expected to pay monthly bills.
The Honorable Minister of Power, Sale Mamman said sometimes back that Power is now regular, 24hrs and we wondered if it’s in this same Nigeria or somewhere else. He also very recently said that Nigerians will start paying New electricity tariff from July and we ask, on what basis are we going to be paying?
Paying for darkness or power supply that has been very erratic and epileptic?
Mr. Samuel therefore calls on the government and well meaning Nigerians to look in the direction of righting the wrongs, especially now that citizens are tired of the oppressive standard of the power or distribution firms, no regular power, outrageous estimated bills, disconnection of light without notice etc so that Nigerians can heave a sigh of relief in the long run.
He also expressed concern at the level of bickering in the polity as a result of the failure of the electric companies to provide power to run the various aspects of the economy.
On the connection between the past and the present power authorities management, Mr. Samuel noted that the Ikeja Electric inherited a negative image and decided to uphold it for the continuity of inefficiency and injustice.
He however urged the government to go back to the drawing board to see how the present derangement can be corrected, so that the much needed power sufficiency can be achieved, warning that if nothing is done fast, the people may resort to protests (violent or peaceful), to seek improvement and justice.
