Total Darkness in Maya: Ikorodu Communities Cry Out Over Four-Month Blackout

Advertisements

David Oladimeji

For residents of Maya, Adamo, Itele, and neighboring communities in Ikorodu North LCDA, life has been nothing short of unbearable since July. What began as a brief power interruption has now stretched into a four-month nightmare that has plunged over 20 communities into total darkness.
From small business owners to students and the elderly, the residents say the prolonged outage has disrupted every aspect of daily living. Their cries for help, addressed repeatedly to Ikeja Electric, have so far gone unanswered.
According to residents, several letters and complaints have been sent to the electricity distribution company, yet the situation remains unchanged. “We have written, visited their office, and even sent representatives, but nothing has been done,” one community leader lamented.
The blackout, they said, has crippled economic activities across the affected areas. Welders, barbers, tailors, and cold room operators have all been forced to close shop, while others struggle to stay afloat by running generators at unsustainable costs.
“The cost of fuel alone is killing us,” a resident, who operates a small printing business, said. “We spend thousands every week on fuel just to survive, yet Ikeja Electric keeps bringing bills as if we have light.”
Indeed, one of the major grievances among residents is that, despite the power outage, Ikeja Electric continues to issue what they describe as “exorbitant” monthly bills to postpaid customers. Many say they are being forced to pay for a service they haven’t enjoyed in months.
“If you add up the few hours we had light since July, it’s not even up to a full day,” a resident of Itele said bitterly. “It’s frustrating, and it feels like nobody cares about our suffering.”
The prolonged blackout has also taken a toll on family life. Parents worry about their children’s studies, especially as many depend on electricity to charge devices and lamps for nighttime reading. Food items spoil in refrigerators, and the heat at night has become unbearable for many households.
Elderly residents, who once relied on fans or air conditioners to manage health conditions, now sit in stuffy rooms, hoping for the hum of electricity that never comes. “We are tired,” said an elderly man in Maya. “It’s as if we’ve been forgotten.”
Community leaders say they have made numerous attempts to get the attention of Ikeja Electric’s technical teams, but their complaints are either ignored or met with vague promises. “Every time we visit, they tell us they are working on it, but nothing changes,” one leader explained.
The residents are now appealing to the Lagos State Government and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to step in. They believe only higher authorities can compel the distribution company to restore power to the communities.
“We are peaceful people,” another resident said. “All we ask for is light — we pay our bills, we follow due process, but this darkness is too much.”
As the rainy season gradually comes to an end, residents fear that the dry season will bring more discomfort, with heat and mosquito infestation compounding their woes. Many worry about the health and psychological toll of living in constant darkness.
Efforts to reach Ikeja Electric’s spokesperson were unsuccessful, as calls and messages were not returned at the time of filing this report.
For now, the residents of Maya, Adamo, Itele, and their neighboring communities remain hopeful — clinging to the belief that someone, somewhere, will hear their cry and finally bring back the light.