Residents of FESTAC Town in Lagos have given the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) 48 hours to restore electricity to the estate after complaining of more than eight months of poor power supply.
The residents, under the umbrella of Take Back FESTAC, also protested against estimated billing, saying the prolonged blackout has disrupted businesses and made life difficult for thousands of people.
The protest took place on Tuesday as residents marched to EKEDC's headquarters in Marina, Lagos, to press their demands. They said previous meetings with the electricity distribution company failed to produce results despite promises that power supply would improve after the completion of a transmission project.
Speaking during the protest, the President and Convener of Take Back FESTAC, Comrade Valentine Uduebor, said residents had endured months of hardship while waiting for electricity to return. He said many people had lost their means of livelihood because businesses that depend on electricity could no longer operate.
Uduebor said he personally relied on solar power in his home and had not needed to buy another electricity token for over a year because there had been little or no power supply. He questioned how the distribution company continued to operate while consumers received almost no electricity.
He also appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene, saying the Federal Government's efforts to improve electricity supply were being slowed by poor implementation within the sector.
According to him, EKEDC had earlier asked residents to be patient for five months while work on electricity infrastructure was completed. He said that period had passed without any improvement in power supply.
The group warned that if electricity was not restored within 48 hours, residents could begin further actions, adding that they would no longer be responsible for any disruption that might follow. The protesters said frustration had spread across the community, with many residents struggling to cope after spending months without regular electricity.
Vice President of the group, Chief James Ibeka, said the decision to protest at EKEDC's headquarters showed how serious the situation had become. He said there were times when the estate received less than two hours of electricity over a three-month period.
Ibeka added that residents now spent huge amounts on petrol to power generators in their homes, shops, hospitals and markets. He said some families spent about ₦10,000 daily on fuel, while petrol selling for around ₦1,300 per litre had further increased the cost of living.
The group's Public Relations Officer, Nathaniel Ussi, said many residents were still being placed on estimated billing because they had not received prepaid meters. He urged EKEDC to speed up meter distribution so customers would only pay for electricity actually consumed.
A medical doctor, Dr. Dumebi Owa, said the blackout had also affected healthcare services. She explained that hospitals needed stable electricity to treat patients and carry out surgeries safely, warning that unreliable power supply put lives at risk. She also accused the company of relying on estimated billing while consumers received little electricity.
One of the protesters, identified simply as Michael, said residents on 41 Road continued to receive monthly bills despite getting electricity for only short periods. He claimed his monthly bill continued to rise even when there was little or no power supply and called for prepaid meters to end estimated billing.
After the protest, about five representatives of the group were invited to meet with EKEDC management behind closed doors. However, company officials did not address journalists after the meeting, and no official response was issued at the end of the protest.
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