Coalition petitions IKEDC over power outage

By Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie

The Coalition for Affordable and Regular Electricity (CARE) has impressed on the management of the Ikeja Electric Distribution Company (IKEDC) the need to step up their service delivery to the electricity consuming public.

CARE, had in a petition written on behalf of the residents of Harmony Ago-40 Estate in Aboru, Iyana-Ipaja, Lagos, urged Mrs Folake Soetan the Acting Chief Executive Officer of IKEDC, to consider the plights of the residential area most of who had been plunged into darkness by the DISCO.

In the petition titled,’ CARE Calls on the Ikeja Electric to install two (500 KVA) transformers to Harmony AGO-40 Estate,’ signed by Chinedu Bosah and Shoyombo Monsuru, its National Coordinator and                              National Secretary, the group lamented that Ikeja Electric has failed to install workable electricity facilities in the community such that residents have been subjected to poor but expensive electricity supply.

In the petition a copy of which was seen by our correspondent, CARE noted that, “Currently, residents on Ago-40 one transformer have been in darkness for more than two months while the Ikeja Electric engineers are clueless on what to do. For over seven years, these residents have only enjoyed poor supply as a result of Ikeja Electric inefficiencies.

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For instance, Ago-40 one transformer is feeding about 400 buildings and as a result of the overloading, the transformer collapses at least four times a week while the few hours there was electricity supply, the electric current is so low that having is useless in all ramifications.

This is similar to what the residents on Ago-40 two transformer experience. It is worth mentioning that both transformers, aluminum conductors, poles and all other facilities were bought by the community and yet the services are poor.”

The community, CARE noted, has requested two (500 KVA) transformers but the Ikeja Electric Plc has ignored these requests and concentrates efforts at imposing mostly outrageous estimated bills on residents.

Residents have suffered unimaginably as a result of these poor supplies with its attendant health crises and discomfort.

Virtually all the small businesses in the community have collapsed due to an expensive (outrageous billing) but poor electricity supply. The Akowonjo Business Unit and Aboru Undertaking are only cash points- nothing more, nothing less.