Electricity: Lagos community rejects planned migration to Band A, file petition against it

Residents of the Ilasamaja community in Mushin Local Government Area of Lagos State have raised strong objections to Eko Electricity Distribution Company’s (EKDC) planned migration of their electricity tariff from Band B to Band A.

In a petition addressed to the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of EKDC, the community vowed to resist the move using every legal means available to them.

The petition, which was also copied to the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the Lagos State House of Assembly, and the Lagos State Commissioner of Police, expressed the community’s frustration and refusal to accept the migration.

“We are leaders of all Community Development Associations (CDAs) representing the residents of Ilasamaja, Mushin Local Government Area of Lagos State. We have it on good authority that there are sinister plans to forcefully migrate us from Band B to Band A. We reject this plan and will resist it with everything at our disposal. We have already informed our lawyers to be on red alert for any eventuality.”

The community leaders further warned that while they are peaceful, they would not hesitate to take legal action if the EKDC proceeds with the move.

“We are a peace-loving community, but we will not take our peaceful disposition as cowardice. We will bite without hesitation if you put your hands into our mouth. This evil and unwarranted plan to move us from one band to another forcefully must be jettisoned if you do not want to see the other side of us. We don’t want any movement to any Band A. It was bad enough that you put us on Band ‘B’ without consultation, but forcing us to Band A will definitely be a joke taken too far.”

According to the petition, residents have been facing exploitation ever since they were placed on Band B without prior consultation. They alleged that many community members have been billed according to Band A’s higher tariff system despite ongoing protests and complaints.

“Ever since you forcefully and wickedly put us on Band B, many of the residents of the community have since discovered that you have surreptitiously been billing them through Band A system. Despite complaints and protests, you have greedily refused to rectify or address their complaints and the problem. You cannot force us to swallow the evil and wicked pills of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that have not only inflicted unbearable suffering and poverty on the citizens but continue to kill our small and medium enterprises among others.”

The petition highlighted the economic struggles of the Ilasamaja residents, which include low-income earners, petty traders, and retirees.

“You are aware that the residents of Ilasamaja community are mostly peasants, petty traders, lowly paid workers, retirees, and others struggling to earn a living who barely manage to take care of themselves and their responsibilities. The last thing they need is an exploitative electricity tariff that would worsen their living conditions.”