ARTISANS ABANDON COMMUNITIES OVER POOR POWER SUPPLY

Artisans, landlords and residents of Ikotun/Ejigbo/Agogo-Egbe communities in Lagos State have lamented poor power supply to the areas.

They said the development had impacted negatively on economic activities and their living conditions.

They also accused the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company of bringing “crazy” bills to them every month, a situation they described as frustrating.

It was gathered that a large number of residents had started relocating from the areas, while businesses had folded up.

Some artisans such as barbers, vulcanisers, welders, fashion designers and caterers, among others, said they had abandoned their vocations and took to okada riding and petty trading like selling of recharge cards.

One of the barbers on Ademoye Street, Mr. Tajudeen Salau, said for more than a year and despite the abysmal supply of power to the area, IKEDC kept bringing an average of N15,000 monthly bills to his shop.

He added that he spent nothing less than N2,000 on fuel on a daily basis to keep the shop running.

Salau said, “I have to start riding okada because it was the best option available to me since I was not making any income from my shop after deducting the amount I spend on fuel daily, the amount I pay for electricity bill and shop rent.

“The shop could not survive because of lack of regular electricity to this area. People and businesses are relocating in droves. Can you imagine that IKEDC is still bring bills to the shop which I left and which nobody is occupying for more than three months now?

“Okada business is very lucrative because this community is like an estate where we convey people to their various destinations. There is no problem of area boys. The money you make daily belongs to you.”

Another shop owner on Alake Lakonko Street, Ms. Grace Bello, said IKEDC had made her salon business unprofitable. She added that she sold recharge cards and provisions because they did not need electricity to run.

“For now, I am doing buying and selling in order to raise money to relocate my hair dressing salon to another area where electricity is a bit stable,” Bello added.

A tailor on Segun Ariyibi Street, Mr. Mathew Uzor, on his part, said the power situation had become irredeemable in the area.

Uzor said, “It is only in the Ikotun area that we are experiencing this kind of problem. In the Iyana Ipaja area, where I use my friend’s shop, they enjoy at least five hours of power as the case may be. With that kind of situation, one can still do business comfortably. I am thinking of relocating to Iyana Ipaja. In this area, we don’t see electricity, but we see outrageous bills every month.”

A landlord on Enilolobo Close, Alhaji Jamiu Muftau, urged the authorities to do something about the situation.

He said, “Two years ago, electricity used to be a bit stable. Now, a large number of residents are relocating and our areas have become a ghost land. The rest of us use generators day and night and this is having a toll on our health.

“We have complained several times, but the officials kept saying that the problem was from the central zone. They said the amount of current they got from the central zone was not enough to go round our area.”

However, a caterer, Ms. Enobong Utah, who resides on Paradise Street, said although she relocated her business from the area over a year ago due to electricity situation, her locked up shop still received monthly estimated bills from IKEDC despite the fact that she had written series of letters to notify the officials that the shop was closed.

She advised IKEDC to stop the “fraudulent estimated bills” until power was restored.

The IKEDC spokesperson Pekun Adeyanju, said power problem was a general problem in the country, adding that something was being done to rectify the situation.

“The residents should also direct their grievances to the national headquarters,” he added.

culled from 'Punch'