Residents of the Ilasamaja community in Mushin Local Government Area, Lagos State, have submitted a petition to the Managing Director/CEO of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKDC), rejecting the proposed migration from Band B to Band A. The community has pledged to oppose this alleged covert move using all legal avenues available.
In their petition, which was also sent to the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the Lagos State House of Assembly, and the state Commissioner of Police, community leaders stated: “We are leaders of all Community Development Associations (CDAs) representing the residents of Ilasamaja. We have credible information that there are sinister plans to forcefully migrate us from Band B to Band A. We reject this plan and will resist it with all available means. We have already instructed our lawyers to remain vigilant for any developments.
“We are a peace-loving community, but we will not allow our peaceful nature to be mistaken for weakness. We will defend ourselves if you provoke us. This unjust plan to forcibly move us to another band must be abandoned if you do not want to face our resistance. We do not agree with any transition to Band A. It was already unacceptable to place us in Band B without consultation, but pushing us to Band A is a joke taken too far.
“Since your decision to place us in Band B, many residents have noticed that you have been billing them under the Band A system. Despite numerous complaints and protests, you have stubbornly refused to address these issues. You cannot force us to endure the harsh measures imposed by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which have inflicted immense hardship and poverty on our citizens while harming our small and medium enterprises.
“You know that the majority of Ilasamaja residents are peasants, petty traders, low-wage workers, retirees, and others struggling to make ends meet. The last thing they need is an exploitative electricity tariff that would further deteriorate their living conditions.”