Airport communities, logistic operators protest erratic power supply

Residents in communi- ties and logistic op- erators who provide services to airlines around the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, on Tuesday, pro- tested over erratic power supply to their area by the Ikeja Electric Company (IEC) Limited.

The protest carried out under the auspices of Ajamogun Onokotun Com- munity Development As- sociation was to express their disenchantment over prolonged power outage leading to loss of millions of naira for those engaged in logistic business.

The community associa- tion, including some logis- tics operators, which service airlines, cargo companies, travel agencies and other ancillary service providers around the Lagos airport, said incessant power sup- ply to the area was having adverse effects on their businesses.

If the IEC does not fix the problem, youths in the area who run small scale businesses such as barb- ing salons, cyber cafés and business centres may take to crime as the continued absence of power supply in the area is hugely affecting their lives, they said.

Speaking yesterday, Wale Akinyemi, chairman of the community associa- tion, said four streets in the Ewutuntun, Beesam and Mafoluku area of Oshodi Local Development Area (LCDA), had been subject- ed to perpetual darkness with the attendant effects on their lives.

He said the power supply situation in the environment had become unbearable despite failed attempts by of- ficials of Ikeja Electric Com- pany to fix the problem.

This is after they collected hidden charges from residents.

The association is getting worried that until a new transformer is provided for the community, epileptic power supply may linger, he said, saying the com- munity decided to visit the managing director of IEC to draw his attention to the situation.

The community is get- ting worried that the trans- former serving the commu- nity, which was installed in 1980, has collapsed, he said.

He therefore called for the immediate replace- ment of a new transformer with appropriate capac- ity to serve the number of residents, adding that low and high tension service cables in the area were dan- gling dangerously across the street with its attendant threat to lives and property.

SADE WILLIAMS