Residents of Gowon Estate in the Egbeda area of Lagos State staged a protest on Monday at the offices of the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company over a crippling three-month power blackout.
The PUNCH reported that the protesters, from streets along 34 Road including B, C, D, and F Close, converged on the IKEDC office in the Ponle area, demanding the immediate restoration of electricity. They have been without power since October 12, 2025, following the breakdown of a 500KVA transformer serving the area.
The residents accused the DisCo of neglecting repeated complaints and written appeals. “We are near the IKEDC office; they are our neighbours, yet they are punishing us,” lamented one protester, Oluwatoyin Adebayo.
Reverend Tom Omorogbe highlighted the financial strain, stating he spends up to N30,000 daily on fuel for generators despite having unused units on his prepaid meter. “Our money is trapped in the meter, and they are using our money to run their business while we are buying fuel again,” he said.
The protest turned emotional as residents spoke of the human toll. A protester identified as Ingobu claimed, “Three people have died because of the heat.” She issued an ultimatum: “If they don’t do something… we will lock this place. Nobody will come in, nobody will go out.”
According to documents seen by our correspondent, the community reported the transformer fault on October 12. IKEDC engineers assessed it on October 15, declaring it needed workshop repairs, but no further action was taken. The transformer, reportedly over 40 years old, was briefly fixed but broke down again on December 13.
A top IKEDC official, addressing the protesters, apologized and pledged swift action. “Immediately after this, we will send our engineers… The first option is to see how we can put you on an adjoining transformer,” the official stated.
