At Oko Filling in Igando area of Lagos State, a silent transformer stands as a symbol of both hope and frustration.

Purchased in 2020 through communal contributions, the equipment was meant to end nearly two decades of erratic electricity supply for thousands of residents in Alimosho Local Government Area. But five years later, the transformer remains unused, while households and businesses continue to depend on an aging, overloaded unit prone to frequent breakdowns.

For residents, the irony is painful: they bought their own solution, yet remain trapped in darkness.

A community forced into self-help

For years, residents under the Ultimate Community Development Association (CDA) had pleaded with the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) to provide a new transformer to ease pressure on the existing one, which has been in use for almost two decades. When those appeals yielded no results, the community took matters into its own hands.

The decades-old, overloaded transformer.

Lawal Sulaiman, chairman of the CDA served by 11-IgandoINJ-T1-New Igando feeder, said the decision was driven by desperation. “This is 2026, and the transformer we are managing is almost 20 years old and badly overloaded,” he told BusinessDay. “That is why we decided to help ourselves and buy a relief transformer.”

Residents pooled funds, purchased the transformer, and completed installation, believing IKEDC would energise it once regulatory procedures were completed. Instead, the equipment has remained idle for five years due to administrative and technical bottlenecks.

Sulaiman said the community has written letters, visited IKEDC offices and engaged officials repeatedly, but without resolution.

“We have fulfilled all the requirements on our part. The only outstanding issue is the transformer meter from Ikeja Electric. Once the meter is provided, the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) will conduct its inspection and the transformer can be energised,” he said.

The new transformer stands, unused.

Meanwhile, residents endure prolonged outages, sometimes going weeks without electricity as the old transformer fails under excessive load.

Businesses collapse under unreliable power

For small business owners, unreliable electricity has translated into economic hardship and, in many cases, closure.

Nike Babatunde, who once ran a drinks business, said rising generator costs forced her to shut down. “I stopped selling drinks because I can no longer afford the cost of fueling my generator, especially after the fuel subsidy was removed,” she told BusinessDay. “Customers want cold drinks, but the power supply here is too unreliable.”

Chioma Emmanuel, a frozen food trader, faced a similar fate. “The cost of running a generator to power my freezers is higher than the profit I make,” she said. “When I added the extra cost to my goods, customers stopped buying and chose to go elsewhere.”

The unused transformer bought five years ago. Photo credit: Taofeek Oyedokun

Even basic livelihoods have been disrupted. A dry cleaner in the community who spoke anonymously said he now travels to a neighbouring area just to iron clothes. “I go to another community to iron because I cannot afford to run my generator every day,” he said.

Residents billed despite poor supply

Despite irregular electricity supply, many residents, most of whom lack prepaid meters, continue to receive monthly estimated bills.

“They are happy when you don’t have prepaid meters,” a community leader alleged. “Whether there is light or not, they still bring bills.”

Residents also bear the cost of repairing cables damaged by overload from the aging transformer, further deepening financial strain.

For nursing mothers like Wunmi Afolabi, the unused transformer has become a daily reminder of unfulfilled promises.

“It is painful to see a transformer in our community and still suffer without electricity, especially during this period of intense heat,” she lamented. “The government should compel Ikeja Electric to do the needful and energise it.”

What the law says

Under Section 68 of the Electricity Act 2023, electricity distribution companies are authorised to “expand the distribution network in the licensed areas.”

This provision places responsibility on DisCos like IKEDC to build and upgrade infrastructure, including transformers, to ensure reliable electricity supply.

The law also makes clear that customer-funded infrastructure is optional, not mandatory, stating that such contributions are “outside the usual obligations of consumers.”

Regulatory provisions permit communities to fund transformers under specific conditions, but require the distribution company to inspect, approve, and integrate the equipment into its network. Once integrated, the DisCo assumes operational responsibility.

While such arrangements are common due to infrastructure gaps and slow network expansion, distribution companies cannot indefinitely delay energising approved equipment without technical justification.

IKEDC cites procedural and contractor delays

Kingsley Okotie, head of Corporate Communications at IKEDC, said energising transformers requires strict compliance with technical and regulatory standards.

“There are internal procedures that need to be followed before we accept a transformer being donated. If that procedure is not completed, it cannot be energised,” Okotie said in a telephone conversation with BusinessDay.

He stressed that safety considerations are paramount. “This is electrical infrastructure. You don’t bypass due diligence.”

Okotie added that purchasing a transformer does not automatically qualify it for integration into the network.

“Transformers are not something you just pick from the shelf and say you have bought one,” he said. “There are specifications. You cannot just go and buy anything without ensuring it fits the intended purpose.”

However, he acknowledged the prolonged delay and said the company was reviewing the case.

Providing a follow-up update, Okotie attributed the latest delay to pending construction work by a contractor.

“There are expectations from that contractor regarding the constructions that need to be done,” he said. “So that contractor has not gotten back. That’s the latest update I got now.”

He explained that the contractor must complete specific requirements before regulatory inspection and eventual energisation can proceed.

Trapped between infrastructure gaps and bureaucracy

For Ultimate CDA residents, the situation highlights a broader reality across Nigeria, where communities increasingly fund critical electricity infrastructure themselves due to slow expansion by distribution companies.

Yet, even after making such investments, many remain stuck in bureaucratic and technical limbo.

For Dele Oyewale, the financial toll is overwhelming. “Imagine relying on generators for more than three weeks in a month and still being billed for electricity,” he said. “We contributed money to buy a new transformer, yet five years later it has not been connected.”

Back in Igando, the transformer still stands, unused, but not forgotten.

For residents, it represents more than electrical equipment. It is a symbol of sacrifice, resilience, and a long wait for power that has yet to come.

Until it is energised, households remain dependent on generators, businesses remain constrained, and a community-funded solution to electricity shortages remains out of reach. (Business Day)