Blackout in Ikorodu community, as Ikeja DisCo blames TCN
Solomon Ezeme
Residents of Ikorodu community have been in blackout for five days, a development the Ikeja Electric Plc(IE) the distribution company in charge of that network area, attributed to faulty transformer at Egbin Transmission Station operated by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
The I.E in a statement released on Tuesday appealing to residents to be calm over the development, explained that the blackout experienced by residents of Owutu, Ibeshe, Igbogbo, Ijede, Agbowa, Agebede and Fakale-Maya, and other communities on 11KV Feeders in the Ikorudu area, was as a result of faulty transformer at the Egbin Transmission Station which necessitated load shedding to the affected communities.
IE said, “We therefore appeal to our customers to bear with us, as the technical team from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) are currently working to ensure the fault is resolved within the shortest possible time. Thank you for your understanding,” the statement read, in part.
Customers react:
Expressing displeasure over the appeal of the Ikeja Electric, some of the affected residents on the official facebook page of the DisCo blamed the company for poor service delivery , and late response to their plights, as it took days for the company to address them on the present blackout, claiming that the situation has become a reccurring decimal, under the I.E’s network.
An affected customer, Abiodun Adeoye said: “Five consecutive days of power outage is annoying, most especially when it wasn’t as a result of a natural disaster. It can only happen in a country like Nigeria where anything is permissible.”
Edward Jacob who is an electrical engineer, expressed his disappointment at the attitude of the DisCo, stating that it ought to have a ‘maintenance schedule’ in place for each of the areas under its network.
“For the fact that there has been a very high increase in tariff for over a year, I don’t expect that a transformer should go faulty when there should be maintenance schedule assigned to each plant supplying individual areas, under the DisCos’ network.
“What then is the purpose of all the funds collected by the DisCo when you only tackle a problem after it has become worse – enough to shut down such a major power grid?
“As an engineer in the field of electricity, I am ashamed that Ikeja Electric could confidently post this unnecessary apology,” he said.
Michael Odutola accused the Ijede office of the network of coercing community people to pay, even when no power was supplied to his community.
“I know the faulty transformer usually don’t stop your officials from carrying ladders, coercing people to pay for darkness.
Edward Jacob who described himself as an electrical engineer, expressed his disappointed over the attitude of the DisCo, stating that it ought to have a ‘maintenance schedule’ in place for each of the areas under its network.
“For the fact that there has been a very high increase in tariff for over a year, I don’t expect that a transformer should go faulty when there should be maintenance schedule assigned to each plant supplying individual areas, under the DisCos’ network.
“What then is the purpose of all the funds collected by the DisCo when you only tackle a problem after it has become worse – enough to shut down such a major power grid?
“As an engineer in the field of electricity, I am ashamed that Ikeja Electric could confidently post this unnecessary apology,” he said.
Saheed Odukoya, a resident of Ijede said: “A simple pre-paid metre would have done the talking more meaningfully. The above grammar would have been appreciated by your consumers wholeheartedly if prepaid metres were readily available in all houses.
“But right now, the fault has been announced by your company. That will not stop you from bringing the next electricity bill.”
John Folarin, another resident said: “This is completely disgusting and barbaric. Information dissemination should be forwarded as early as possible, not days after occurrence. I.E’s information management is bad. They need to work on it.”
Calls made to TCN’s spokesperson Mrs Ndidi Mbah, were not answered as at the time of filling this report.
