Residents lament as Disco plunges Lagos Air Force Base into 12-day blackout
Residents of the Sam Ethnan Air Force Base, Ikeja, Lagos State, are lamenting the 12-day blackout that has grounded businesses and caused water scarcity in the barracks.
PUNCH Metro gathered in separate interviews with the residents on Monday that the prolonged blackout had forced them to patronise cart pushers for water at exorbitant prices.
Our correspondent also learnt that the blackout had been a prolonged challenge the residents were faced with.
Speaking with our correspondent, a resident who identified herself simply as Precious, disclosed that small business owners such as tailors, grocery stores, laundry and other essential services had been affected by the blackout.
She noted that residents were forced to resort to the use of generators against the barracks rules and regulations.
Precious said, “We have been experiencing the blackout for almost two weeks. The situation has not been palatable because we cannot carry out our trades again. I am a tailor and I cannot work because of the blackout, the same with others.
“Some people are now defying the order of the Nigerian Air Force authority against the use of generators because they have no choice. Essential service traders have also been affected and this has been recurring for a while now.”
Another resident, Tutu Adeboye, noted that the water supply in the barracks had been limited to 30 minutes daily between the hours of 6 am and 6:30 am, which, she claimed, was not sufficient for daily use.
She added that several residents had resorted to patronising cart pushers for water at the rate of N4,000 per gallon.
She said, “The situation is worse. There is no water and we have to get water from these truck pushers for N4,000 per gallon. The barracks authority only supplies water between 6 am and 6:30 am daily. For 12 days now, there is no light.
“This is not the first time we experienced a blackout but it seems there is no solution. The last time we had a blackout, it was resolved and electricity was supplied back on a ration basis. But, for two weeks now, there has been no light at all.”
Another resident who did not want to be mentioned in print noted that the blackout was caused by the debt being owed to the Ikeja Electricty Distribution Company by the barracks authority.
The resident said, “What we learnt is that the barracks is owing the electricity company, which is why they disconnected the supply. The AOC visited the barracks recently, but nothing was done about the situation.”
When contacted, the Head of Corporate Communications, Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company, Kingsley Okotie, declined to comment on the matter.
He stressed that the barracks is a government institution and is seen as a separate customer with a regulated communication procedure.
“I can not react to it because the barracks is a military institution, and they are a separate customer. We have a procedureof communication when it concerns government institutions. If there is a problem, there is a procedure through which we communicate,” Okotie said.
But when contacted on Monday, the spokesperson for the Nigeria Air Force, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, did not respond to calls and text messages sent to his line as of the time of filing this report.
PUNCH Metro reported in July 2024, that the Air Force Base Ikeja experienced a blackout in power supply, which left them scrambling to find a source of water.
Although the community is intended for military officers and their families, civilians are permitted to own and operate businesses such as dry cleaning services, grocery shops, salons, eateries, and more.
