Residents of Lagos community protest 18 months without electricity
Add us on Google Residents of Maya Olorijo protesting the 18-month power outage at the Ikeja Electric business district office in Ikorodu Residents of Maya Olorijo Estate, Ikorodu area of Lagos State, staged a peaceful protest on Monday over an 18-month power outage in the community. The residents said the prolonged blackout has affected businesses, undermining livelihoods and making life increasingly difficult in the area. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the protesters, predominantly landlords and youths, marched to the Ikeja Electric Business District in the Alogba area, holding up placards and chanting solidarity songs. Stay Ahead with Premium Times Follow us on Google News and never miss breaking stories, investigations, and in-depth reporting. Add as a preferred source on Google /* 1. 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Speaking during the protest, Olorijo Community Development Association (CDA) Chairman, Victor Ologhobo, said the problem started after a transformer serving the area developed a fault. Mr Ologhobo said the staff of Ikeja Electric took the transformer for repairs on 13 January 2025. According to him, the community had been in total darkness since then, describing it as unsustainable for daily life and business operations. “We are not asking for too much, give us a new transformer or repair and return the one taken from our community. “For more than 18 months, local business owners have highlighted the severe impact of total darkness, noting that reliance on fuel-powered generators has significantly increased operational costs. “We cannot continue like this; armed robbers disturb us, and we spend a lot of money on fuel and hiring local vigilantes,” he said. Responding, Emmanuel Iberuche, business manager, Ikeja Electric, Ikorodu, apologised to the protesters over the delay in returning the transformer. Mr Iberuche attributed the challenge to bureaucracy and due process involved in supplying new transformers or repairing faulty ones, noting that the company also suffers losses when communities are without electricity. READ ALSO: Theft of electricity cables pushes SMEs to brink of collapse in Lagos community He said reports on the happenings and grievances of the protesters would be forwarded to the headquarters, assuring that there would be a follow-up on their matter. Earlier, Samuel Odukoya, head of the Technical Unit at Ikeja Electric, said his team would install the transformer at no cost to the community as soon as approval is granted. (NAN) Share this: Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email Click to print (Opens in new window) Print Stay Ahead with Premium Times Follow us on Google News and never miss breaking stories, investigations, and in-depth reporting. Add as a preferred source on Google / 1. Wrapper & Container / .gn-wrapper { width: 100%; padding: 20px 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; } .gn-card { width: 100%; max-width: 600px; background: #ffffff; padding: 28px; border-radius: 16px; border: 1px solid #e0e0e0; box-shadow: 0 4px 12px rgba(0,0,0,0.08); font-family: 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; } / 2. 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The High-Impact Button / .gn-button { display: inline-flex; align-items: center; gap: 12px; padding: 14px 24px; border: 1px solid #dadce0; border-radius: 30px; / Modern pill shape / text-decoration: none; background: #ffffff; color: #3c4043; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out; box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(60,64,67,0.1); } .gn-button-text { font-size: 17px; / Increased font size / font-weight: 700; / Maximum boldness / letter-spacing: 0.1px; } .gn-button:hover { background: #f8f9fa; border-color: #d2d2d2; box-shadow: 0 2px 4px rgba(60,64,67,0.2); transform: translateY(-1px); } .gn-icon { width: 22px; / Matched to larger text size / height: 22px; object-fit: contain; } / 5. 📱 Mobile Optimization / @media (max-width: 480px) { .gn-card { padding: 20px; } .gn-header { flex-direction: column; align-items: flex-start; gap: 10px; } .gn-title { font-size: 20px; } .gn-description { font-size: 16px; } .gn-button { width: 100%; justify-content: center; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 14px 10px; } .gn-button-text { font-size: 15px; / Scaled slightly for small screens */ } }