Residents of Maya Olorijo Estate in Lagos State’s Ikorodu area held a peaceful protest on Monday to demand urgent restoration of electricity after enduring an 18-month blackout. The prolonged power outage has severely disrupted daily life, crippled local businesses, and deepened economic hardship for households in the community.
Protesters, including landlords and youths, marched to the Ikeja Electric Business District in Alogba, carrying placards with messages such as “18 months in darkness, killing Olorijo” and “18 months, no light for creditworthy customers, bring back our transformer.” Chanting in unison, they called for immediate action to resolve the crisis.
Victor Ologhobo, Chairman of the Olorijo Community Development Association, explained that the blackout began when a transformer serving the estate developed a fault. On January 13, 2025, Ikeja Electric officials removed the faulty transformer for repairs, but it has not been returned. “We are not asking for too much—give us a new transformer or repair and return the one taken from our community,” Ologhobo said. He noted that local businesses have been particularly hard hit, with many forced to rely on costly fuel-powered generators. “We cannot continue like this; armed robbers disturb us, and we spend a lot of money on fuel and hiring local vigilantes,” he added.
In response, Emmanuel Iberuche, Business Manager of Ikeja Electric in Ikorodu, apologised for the prolonged delay. He attributed the situation to procedural requirements and administrative bottlenecks involved in transformer repairs or replacements, noting that the company also incurs losses when customers are without power. Iberuche assured protesters that their concerns would be escalated to the company’s headquarters for necessary action.
Earlier, Samuel Odukoya, Head of the Technical Unit at Ikeja Electric, stated that once approval is secured, the transformer would be installed at no cost to the community. Residents remain hopeful that swift action will follow, restoring normalcy to Maya Olorijo Estate and alleviating the economic and security challenges caused by the extended blackout.
