John Ola
For two months running, the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), Ijesha Undertaking and Mushin Business Unit have stopped the supply of electricity to the residents of four communities in Odo-Eran because of their refusal to part with N500, 000 ‘counterpart fund’ for a new transformer.
The affected areas are Jacob Adeleye, Olorogun, Adebayo Rufai, streets and Trepower Avenue.
Also affected is Odo-Eran market, which makes cash payment to EKEDC officials whenever they come around every month for revenue drive.
NewsGazette gathered that a 300kv transformer at Jacob Adeleye junction which supplies electricity to residents of the affected areas packed up on June 9 to which the community development associations under the aegis of ‘Concerned Odo-Eran Community Residents attached to Jacob Adeleye Transformer’ informed Mushin Business District and Ijeshatedo Undertaking of the need to evacuate the faulty equipment and provide a new one.
It was further learnt that Ijeshatedo and Mushin dilly-dallied and on June 30, the CDAs wrote officially to the Mushin Business Unit complaining about the faulty.
In the petition entitled ‘Prolonged repair of faulty transformer’, the CDAs wrote: “The sole aim of business entity is to provide goods or render services to her numerous customers. It’s been close to a month now that EKO Disco had stopped rendering her service in form of electricity supply to customers in Odo-Eran Market, Jacob Adeleye, Olorogun and Adebayo Rufai streets respectively. Residents of the community had lodged a complaint concerning the faulty transformer (Jacob Adeleye transformer) in Odo-Eran since 9th June, 2021 but nothing has yet been done.”
“As residents affected by this nonchalant attitude of your organisation, we write aging to inform you about the faulty transformer with the following demands: *Total elimination of June electricity bill as it is far below reasonable expectation. It amount to day-light robbery to ask people to pay for services not rendered…
*We demand quick and speedy repair of the faulty transformer, OR
*Make urgent replacement of the faulty transformer if it could no longer be repaired to supply constant electricity for the consumers.”
As the waiting game lingered, the CDAs dispatched the same petition to the managing director and chief executive officer of EKEDC at Marina headquarters, who, within two weeks, approved a new 500kv transformer to replace the geriatric one which the residents said was installed in 1985.
The headquarters instructed Ijeshatedo to pick it up the transformer and fix the light.
Ijeshatedo, it was further learnt, grudgingly took delivery of the transformer and dumped it in the metal cubicle at Jacob Adeleye Junction and did nothing about it until some two weeks later.
After installing the transformer, our correspondent learnt that Ijeshatedo was yet to light up the affected communities.
Consequently, the CDAs made representations to Ijeshatedo and Mushin Business Unit, but to no avail.
“When the old transformer stopped working, we informed the Ijeshatedo authorities, but they refused to act. We then resolved to take the matter to Marina which quickly attended to our demand by issuing a new transformer to us. Since Ijeshatedo acquiescingly installed the equipment, it has refused to connect it to power grid. The last time they came here, they videoed the whole place and left.
“Initially they asked for N500, 000 before they would evacuate the old transformer. We demanded to know what the money was meant for; whether they would not be bringing electricity bills after paying the ‘counterpart fund’ but they did not provide any answer.
“We therefore decided to take our destiny into our hands by approaching Marina which gave us a new transformer. They are unhappy that we ‘removed food’ form their mouth,” said one of the CDA officials who craved anonymity.
On Saturday, the various CDAs held their monthly meetings and resolved they would not pay a farthing to anyone to connect them to power grid.
“When we complained to Marina that both Ijeshatedo Undertaking and Mushin Business District were playing hanky-panky, they expressed shock that power supply was yet to be restored to the residents and promised that by Saturday (yesterday) the situation would change,” one of the CDA executives said.
However, this newspaper was told that no EKEDC official showed up yesterday.
As of the time of filing this report, the communities were still enveloped in darkness.
When NewsGazette visited Ijeshatedo Undertaking, the officials refused to comment on the issue saying all enquiries should be made to Marina which approved transformer for the residents.
One of the officials who volunteered comments on condition of anonymity however denied the counterpart fund allegation.
He said the Disco does not charge residents for the repair of a faulty transformer or provision of a new one.
He said the residents misinterpreted the slow response to their request to a demand for bribe.
“We don’t have a stock of transformers here. Whenever the need arises, we apply to the headquarters that will make the equipment available.
At the Mushin Business Unit on Oshodi/Apapa Expressway, a top official who also craved anonymity was bitter that the communities “bypassed us and went directly to Marina to get a transformer. When Marina instructs us to connect them to the power grid, we will oblige.”
Like his colleague at Ijeshatedo, he denied the allegation of N500, 000 bribe describing it as “silly and absolute balderdash.”
