Residents of Festac Town have taken their frustration over the community’s prolonged electricity crisis directly to the headquarters of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), issuing a 48-hour ultimatum for power supply to improve after months of persistent outages.
The protest, organised by a group in the Festac Town Estate of Amuwo called Take Back FESTAC group, saw members of the group who are residents march to EKEDC’s Marina headquarters on Tuesday, where they accused the distribution company of failing to fulfil earlier assurances that electricity supply would improve following work on a transmission project.
For many residents, the electricity situation has become more than an inconvenience. Businesses that depend on stable power, including salons, barbing shops, frozen food vendors, restaurants and other small enterprises, say they now spend heavily on fuel to keep generators running, while many households continue to grapple with rising living costs.
Speaking during the protest, Convener of Take Back FESTAC, Mr Valentine Uduebor, said residents had exercised patience after EKEDC requested more time to complete infrastructure upgrades, but claimed the community had seen little improvement.
“We have suffered enough. Our people can no longer continue to live in darkness,” he said, warning that residents would consider further action if electricity supply does not improve within 48 hours.
Chief James Ibeka, described the electricity situation as one of the most difficult Festac has experienced in recent years, saying some areas receive only a few hours of electricity over several weeks. Nathaniel Ussi, also raised concerns over estimated billing, alleging that many residents continue to receive electricity bills despite having little or no power supply. He called on EKEDC to accelerate the rollout of prepaid meters across the estate.
Medical practitioner Dr. Dumebi Owa said unstable electricity is also affecting healthcare delivery, noting that hospitals and clinics require reliable power to safely care for patients.
Following the protest, representatives of the residents held a meeting with EKEDC officials behind closed doors. However, details of the discussions were not immediately disclosed. As of the time of publication, EKEDC had not issued an official statement responding to the protesters’ demands.
The protest is the latest in a series of complaints by Festac residents over electricity supply and reflects growing pressure on electricity distribution companies to improve service delivery as households and businesses continue to battle rising energy costs.
Festac Online will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as more information becomes available.