Ishagatedo community demands prepaid metres, warns IKEDC over estimated billing

By Rasaq Adebayo

Frustrated by the perpetual load-shedding and outrageous electricity bills, residents of Metropolitan College, Risi Laguda, Onawale and Ayanlu Streets in Ishagatedo/Ire-Akari Ward have made a 4-point demand from Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC).

The community has alleged the distribution company of overloading their transformer, irregular power supply, undeserved sharing of power supply with Ire-Akari and outrageous estimated billings hence, they demanded stoppage of supply rotation, provision of prepaid metres, review of outrageous electricity bills and proper mapping of their area.

Speaking, the Chairman of Metro-Eyin Oja CDA, Comrade Ladi Adekoya, explained that the issue began when Ire-Akari was mapped a commercial area due to the heavy presence of hotels, banks and other big business outlets, making the transformer overloaded with more sophisticated electrical appliances.

Adekoya said rather than providing additional transformer or cutting Ire-Akari out of the transformer, the distribution company resorted to loading shedding (rotation of power supply) on 2-day on, 1-day off basis.

He explained further that the woes of the community were compounded with irregular power supply and outrageous estimated bills.

He, therefore, appealed to the distribution company to start metering each apartment in the community, which it promised to commence in January this year but later postponed till August.

He stated that they were surprised when they realised last Tuesday that officials of IKEDC completely disconnect residents of the streets from the transformer, subjecting them to total blackout but left Ire-Akari connected.

Corroborating Adekoya’s statement, the Chairman of the community’s Electricity Committee, Comrade Saheed Adekoya explained that they cannot continue to be at the mercy of the distribution company, faulting its decision to leave Ire-Akari; a commercial area on the same transformer with a residential area like theirs with everyone remaining on estimated billings.

His words: “What’s happening is a clear injustice and what we want is that either they take Ire-Akari away from the transformer or they give us prepaid meter. The other day they came for ‘cashdrive’ we allowed them and appealed to them not to disconnect anybody but they did, saying that people are not paying. They removed our fuse from the transformer but left Ire-Akari’s. The community decided to defuse Ire-Akari as well and lock the transformer for fear of vandalization from the youths. Though the electricity company been threatening us with police and we are expecting them.”

Also speaking, the National Coordinator of Coalition for Affordable and Regular Electricity (CARE), Comrade Chinedu Bosah, expressed the pressure group’s solidarity for the struggle of the community noting that the right to affordable and stable electricity is an inalienable right of every citizen.

He noted that if the government and the distribution company had made an adequate investment into the power sector to address the issues of having numerous streets and spectrum of the society attached to a transformer, the community won’t be dealing with problems like this.

Bosah who doubled as the national secretary of Where Is The Light Movement urged IKEDC to do the needful by meeting the demands of the residents, stressing that the injustice cannot continue.

All efforts to get response from the distribution company proved abortive as the PRO of the company, Okota Business Unit, Fadekemi did not respond to calls and messages.