. Demand end to seven-day power outage, N1bn in damages
By Stanley Onyeka, Lagos
Residents of Magodo GRA Phase 1, comprising MD Avoseh, Zone C, and Oremeta, besieged the head office of the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) on Tuesday, to demand an immediate end to a seven-day power outage in the area.
The protesting residents who barricaded the entrance to the IKEDC office located at Alausa, Ikeja, around 9am with placards and other insignia bemoaned the executives of the power distribution for their insensitive and deliberate acts to deny residents of the area constant electricity as stipulated by law.
In a notice of legal action delivered by counsel to the residents, James Babatunde Alara, the association chided IKEDC for failing to honour several collective decisions made with the residents to improve power supply to the estate and acting in bad faith.
“Our client has been subjected to a continuous state of near-total blackout in the last five months. On several occasions, they experience a total blackout between 3-5 days before power is restored for a meagre 2-3 hours daily.
“Of recent is the current total blackout, which lasted for over seven days before power was restored for a few hours on 29/4/2024.
“It is particularly worrisome and of anxiety to our client that nearby communities within five minutes walking distance such as UNILAG Estate, Isheri, Olowora, and Omole Phase 2, to mention a few who are direct neighbours to our client without prejudice to the status of their band classification enjoy uninterrupted power supply.”
In a list of demands, the residents requested IKEDC to make an immediate payment of one billion naira within 30 days as damages caused by its failure to deliver electricity supply as required by law.
“Payment of 1,000,000,000.00 (One billion naira) for the physical, psychological and emotional damages collectively suffered by over 400 residents of M.D. Avoseh Zone in the Magodo Government Residential Scheme Phase 1 CDA.
“Immediate restoration of regular power supply to M.D. Avoseh Zone, in particular, and the other zones comprising the Magodo Government Residential Scheme Phase 1 CDA, like the other areas currently enjoying regular power supply, in order to halt the further infraction of our Client’s Constitutional and Fundamental Rights not to be discriminated against.
“A written letter of apology to the Executives of the M.D. Avoseh Zone and a firm undertaking to follow the terms of power supply as contained in the classification provided by the Regulatory Authority.”
The association disclosed that several meetings were held with the management of IKEDC within the last three months, including the appeal to the power distribution company to place the area under a better feeder around the area. Still, at every interval, IKEDC kept postponing its commencement date.
…the residents requested IKEDC to make an immediate payment of N1billion within 30 days as damages caused by its failure to deliver electricity supply as required by law.
