Economy
Community Laments 5 Month Power Outage In Lagos
Community Laments 5 Month Power Outage In Lagos
Lagos community laments 5 month power outage in Lagos. Efforts to get the reaction of Head of Corporate Communications, IKEDC, Kingsley Okotie, were unsuccessful.
Residents of Love Estate in Ikorodu-Elepe, Lagos State, on Sunday lamented five months power outage in the community that has grounded businesses.
They appealed to the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) to restore power to the community after the only electricity transformer was taken away for repairs in January.
The residents said the prolonged absence of electricity made them vulnerable to attacks from marauders who operate under the cover of darkness, saying it has also grounded their businesses and other activities that rely on electricity.
Some of residents who spoke during an interview said that despite the donation of a N15 million transformer to IKEDC by the community, pending the return of the faulty one, the company failed to energise it.
A resident, Emmanuel Ayanda, said immediately the estate’s transformer developed a fault and IKEDC was not forthcoming, the community contributed N15 million to purchase a 500 KVA new transformer which was “donated” to IKEDC.
Mr Ayanda explained despite the donation of the transformer with the necessary official steps taken, the electricity distribution company refused to energise it and failed to return the faulty one.
He said that residents have been “spending a lot on buying fuel” to power their generators in the last five months, while economic activities have been paralysed.
Another resident and businesswoman. Ranti Olaniyi, expressed disappointment over the continued failure of IKEDC to restore electricity in the community for the past five months.
Mrs Olaniyi expressed concern and distress over the harm caused to her business by the prolonged blackout.
“We have been left in total darkness, and our daily lives have been severely disrupted. As a business owner, this prolonged blackout is having a devastating impact on my business operations and income. My turnover has dropped drastically, and I am unable to meet customers’ demands or run essential equipment. We seek urgent intervention and public attention to this matter. We deserve basic infrastructure and reliable electricity to live and work with dignity”, she said.
Another resident, Ayo Ikuomola, another resident, said that it had been a tough time for the community in the last five months without electricity.
Mr Ikuomola said that when the transformer serving the estate was faulty in December 2024, officers of Ikeja electric were contacted and they came to pick it for repair.
According to him, when IKEDC was not forthcoming on the repair, residents of the community contributed N15 million to purchase a new transformer which was donated to the company.
He said, “Despite the fact that the donation was received by IKEDC and necessary approvals were given, neither the old transformer that was taken for repair returned nor the new one energised. Since the power outage, and for my business to survive, I have spent over N1 million to buy fuel to power my generator. This is frustrating. Every morning, women and children roaming around the streets looking for where to fetch water and to charge their phones. We appeal to the concern authorities to come to our rescue. This suffering is too much.’’
Meanwhile, residents of the community at an emergency meeting on Saturday vowed to stage a peaceful protest at the IKEDC headquarters in Ikeja on Monday.
The Chairman of the Community Development Association, Segun Oni, while addressing the residents, appealed to Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to come to the community’s aid.
Mr Oni explained the community’s faulty transformer that was taken away on January 3, 2025, by IKEDC for repair had not been returned, while the new 500KVA donated by the community had not been energised.
Community Laments 5 Month Power Outage
“We have been in darkness for more than five months now and we cannot continue like this. We have written several letters to NERC, other government parastatals and even donated a new transformer to IKEDC without any hope in sight. We appeal to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and other concerned authorities to please come to our aid. We are staging a peaceful and organised protest to IKEDC office on Monday. We have done our part by donating a transformer to IKEDC but to no avail. Enough is Enough,” he said.
Contacted, Head of Technical Unit, IKEDC Business Unit, Alogba, Ikorodu, Samuel Odukoya, declined to comment on the matter
Mr Odukoya, however, advised that enquiries should be directed to the corporate affairs unit of the company in Ikeja.
Efforts to get the reaction of Head of Corporate Communications, IKEDC, Kingsley Okotie, were unsuccessful.
Strike: Normalcy Returns At FCT Secretariat As Workers Resume
Strike: Normalcy returns at FCT secretariat as workers resume. The FCTA secretariat is bustling with activities as normalcy returns after the suspension of the planned solidarity protest by labour unions on Tuesday.
The secretariat of the Federal Capital Territory Administration is bustling with activities as normalcy returns after the suspension of the planned solidarity protest by labour unions on Tuesday.
The protest was suspended after a truce was reached between FCT minister Nyesom Wike and the labour unions in the early hours of Tuesday.
The workers, who resumed work on Monday, were seen carrying out their activities and providing various services.
A visit to some offices in the Minister’s Block, the Treasury Department, the Federal Capital Development Authority, the Abuja Geographical System, and others on Wednesday showed that workers were at work, carrying out their duties.
The FCTA workers under the Joint Union Action Committee had on January 19 embarked on industrial action over unresolved welfare concerns.
The strike, however, was halted by a ruling of the National Industrial Court on January 27, which ordered the workers to resume work, a decision that didn’t sit well with the union leaders, who insisted that the strike must continue.
A truce was reached after several hours of meeting, from late night Monday to the early hours of Tuesday, between the union leaders, officials of the FCTA, Mr Wike, and the chairman of the Senate Committee on FCT, Mohammed Bomoi.
Reacting to the truce, the minister told journalists after inspecting some ongoing projects in Abuja on Tuesday that there were no winners or losers.
He expressed delight that the union leaders have seen the realities on the ground, which have helped to clear misconceptions.
“I’m happy that the trade union and labour congress came to see things for themselves. Sometimes it’s good. What they were told is not really what’s on the ground.
Wike
“But by and large, we have had a good meeting, and they’ve directed the workers to go back to work, which you can see has been done. So, we’re happy that at the end of the day, there is no winner, no loser. It’s in the interest of Abuja to progress,” he said.
The organised labour had on Tuesday resolved the dispute between JUAC and Mr Wike, leading to the immediate resumption of work by affected employees.
A circular, jointly signed by the secretary-general of the TUC, Nuhu Toro, and the acting general secretary of the NLC, Benson Upah, stated that the minister assured labour of mutual respect and sustained engagement on labour-related matters in the FCT.
It said the parties also agreed that no worker would be victimised for participating in the strike action and that all outstanding cases at the National Industrial Court would be withdrawn immediately.
Following the agreement, the NLC and TUC directed all affected workers to resume duty without delay.
Lagos Assembly Strongly Seeks Suspension Of Makoko Demolition
Lagos assembly strongly seeks suspension of Makoko demolition. The Lagos state house of assembly has called for the suspension of demolition activities in Makoko, Oko-Agbon and Shogunro waterfront communities following protests by displaced residents and growing public concern over the exercise.
The call was announced on Tuesday by Noheem Adams, chairman of an ad hoc committee set up by Mudashiru Obasa, speaker of the house, during a stakeholders’ meeting held at the Lateef Jakande auditorium.
Adams called on all state ministries to cease demolition work and promised compensation to the affected residents.
“On behalf of the speaker and all 40 members of the house, we are directing that all demolitions in Makoko, Oko-Agbon, and Shogunro communities should stop from today until further notice,” New Telegraph quoted Adams as saying.
He called for transparency by demanding the full list of taskforce members and the criteria used for engagement, insisting that residents must be actively involved in the process.
“That the taskforce that was constituted, we want to see the list of the taskforce because we want the residents to be duly involved and to be carried along. So we want to have the schedule of those task forces and the criteria for those that we are inviting,” Adams added.
Lagos Assembly
“To the residents of Makoko, Oko-Agbon and Shogunro communities, as your representatives, we are giving you all assurances that they will stop demolitions henceforth and there will be compensations for all those whose properties have been demolished.”
Stephen Ogundipe, member of the ad-hoc, said there is need for clear communication, adding that residents targeted for relocation or redevelopment must be informed of the government’s plans in advance.
Babatunde Olajide, special adviser to governor of Lagos on E-GIS and urban renewal, confirmed that $2 million had been earmarked since 2021 to transform Makoko into a modern, internationally compliant water city.
He said enumeration of affected properties is underway and reiterated the administration’s commitment to handling the situation with a human face, prioritizing resident safety and fair compensation.
Yusuf Sagra, baale of Makoko, described the assembly’s decision as a “word of peace,” while Orioye Ogungbure, another leader of the community, praised the “democratic responsiveness” of the government.
EFCC Arrests Kannywood Star, Samha Inuwa for Alleged Naira Mutilation In Viral Video
EFCC arrests Kannywood Star, Samha Inuwa for alleged naira mutilation in viral video. The Kano Zonal Directorate of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Tuesday, February 3, 2026 arrested a Kannywood Star, Samha Inuwa over alleged Naira mutilation.
Inuwa was arrested following a viral video circulated on social media platforms where she was seen conspicuously cleaning mucus from her nose using Naira notes.
EFCC
Following the release of the viral video, the Commission swung into action by tracing and subsequently arrested her to answer questions.
She is currently being held at the Commission’s detention facility while investigation is ongoing.
The suspect will be charged to court upon conclusion of investigations.
Dele Oyewale
Head, Media & Publicity
February 3, 2026
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