Residents of Ishaga and Oke-Ayo communities in Iju-Ishaga, Lagos State, have endured about two weeks of erratic electricity supply, with the Ikeja Electric Distribution Company (IKEDC) attributing the situation to reduced power allocation from the national grid.
The prolonged power shortage has disrupted daily activities, leaving residents struggling to cope with the intense heat and difficulties accessing water, particularly in households that depend on electricity to pump water.
In response to a formal complaint by a journalist and resident of Oke-Ayo, Abdulfatai Ayobami Ibrahim, the manager of IKEDC’s Iju Undertaking said the reduction in electricity supply across the company’s network was caused by a shortfall in power allocated to it from the national grid.
The manager explained that electricity distribution companies could only distribute the volume of power made available to them through the transmission network, adding that any reduction at the generation or transmission stages directly affected electricity supply to consumers.
According to the manager, IKEDC is engaging relevant stakeholders, including the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), to secure an improved allocation and restore normal electricity supply as soon as possible.
In a public notice issued by the company, IKEDC apologised for the inconvenience caused by the reduced supply hours, assuring customers that it was working with relevant stakeholders to improve power availability.
The company also said it remained committed to distributing the available electricity as efficiently and equitably as possible across its network, while promising to keep customers informed of significant developments.
However, residents of Ishaga and Oke-Ayo have continued to face the consequences of the erratic supply, which, according to Ibrahim, has become particularly distressing over the past two weeks.
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In his complaint to the manager, Ibrahim said electricity sometimes returned for barely five to 10 minutes before going off again, while on other occasions, supply was restricted to between two and three hours in the early morning, usually between 1am and 5am.
He explained that the situation had become increasingly unbearable, with residents sometimes spending the entire day without electricity.
Giving an account of the immediate situation when he submitted the complaint, Ibrahim said the last electricity supply to his community had been in the early hours of the previous day, with power cut off shortly after 8am. He said supply had not returned since then.
The journalist noted that the problem extended beyond the absence of electricity, as many households relied on power to pump water for domestic use.
He said prolonged outages had consequently made access to water difficult for affected families, compounding the hardship associated with the prevailing heat.
Ibrahim expressed concern about the impact of the situation on families, children, elderly residents and other vulnerable members of the community, particularly in the absence of clear information about when electricity supply would improve.
Seeking clarification, he asked IKEDC to explain the cause of the persistent outages, whether they were connected to technical faults, load allocation, maintenance activities or other operational challenges.
He also requested details of the measures being taken to address the situation and when residents could reasonably expect an improvement in supply.
Responding, the manager reiterated that the current challenge was linked to reduced electricity allocation from the national grid rather than an issue the distribution company could resolve independently.
He explained that the electricity supply chain comprised generation, transmission and distribution, noting that distribution companies depended on the quantity of electricity supplied through the transmission network.
“Whenever there is a reduction in power supply from the generation or transmission level, it directly affects the quantity of electricity available for distribution to our customers,” the manager explained.
He added that the company was engaging relevant stakeholders to improve its allocation and ensure better electricity supply to customers.
IKEDC also appealed to customers to exercise patience and understanding, while expressing regret over the inconvenience caused by the development.
Despite the explanation, the responses did not provide a specific timeline for the restoration of improved electricity supply in Ishaga and Oke-Ayo or identify a date by which residents could expect relief.
Ibrahim urged the company to sustain communication with affected communities and take practical steps to ensure that available electricity was distributed in a manner that would ease the hardship being experienced by consumers.
He stressed that although electricity distribution could be affected by technical and operational challenges, prolonged outages without timely and adequate information often left consumers frustrated and uncertain.
The journalist said transparent communication between electricity distribution companies and the communities they serve was essential to building public trust and keeping consumers informed about developments affecting their daily lives.
The power crisis in the affected communities comes amid wider concerns over electricity availability, with IKEDC’s explanation pointing to constraints in the volume of power allocated to its network from the national grid.
For residents of Ishaga and Oke-Ayo, however, the immediate concern remains when electricity supply will become more stable and when households struggling with heat and water shortages will receive relief.
As of the time of the exchange, IKEDC had said it was engaging TCN and other relevant stakeholders to improve supply, but had not announced a definite timeline for a return to normal electricity distribution in the affected communities.
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