Nigeria: Lekki Residents Demand End to Two-Week Power Outage

Residents of Lekki Phase 1 in Lagos, Nigeria, are demanding urgent action from the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) after a transformer fault left parts of the neighbourhood without electricity for almost two weeks.

The prolonged blackout has disrupted work and household activities, while residents who rely on generators say they are facing additional fuel costs at a time when petrol prices remain high.

Residents of Alhaji Hakeem Odumosu Street and other affected parts of the area told the News Agency of Nigeria that food had spoiled in homes and some people had been forced to spend more on alternative power sources.

Taiwo Bolodeoku, a resident, said the transformer failed with a loud bang almost two weeks ago but residents had received little information about when it would be repaired.

He added that the lack of a clear timeline from EKEDC had made the situation more frustrating.

Margaret Sogbesan, another resident, said repeated updates and promises from the electricity company had not translated into a restoration of supply.

For David Nezaya, who works from home, the outage has meant running a generator for several hours each day.

“It is very frustrating,” he said, urging EKEDC to restore supply as soon as possible.

Efe Obiomah explained that she had even been forced to switch off her refrigerator because of the prolonged outage.

The residents are particularly concerned about the financial burden of keeping generators running, with the cost of petrol adding to household expenses.

EKEDC awaits repair materials

EKEDC revealed that it was working to restore electricity in the affected area, but the repair depends on materials that are yet to reach its field workers.

An EKEDC official, Adeyemi Razaq, said the required materials had been requested and approved by the company’s head office.

He stated that the materials were expected to arrive during the week, after which workers would carry out the transformer repairs.

The company is now expected to restore supply within days, although the prolonged outage has already exposed the cost residents face when electricity infrastructure fails and repairs take longer than expected.

The issue is no longer simply about being without electricity for Households and Businesses in the Affected Part of Lekki Phase 1, It has become a question of how long residents should continue paying for alternative power while waiting for a failed transformer to be repaired.