Concerned residents and business owners in Arepo, Ogun State, on Wednesday staged a peaceful protest at the Ikeja Electric (IE) office in Alausa over prolonged poor electricity supply and frequent outages.

The leader of the group, Voice of Arepo, Weath Sunday, said the community received between two and five hours of electricity daily at best.

Mr Sunday said that despite being placed on a Band B tariff, the community had continued to experience an inadequate power supply.

He said, “We do not understand why IE officials visit our community almost daily without improving power supply.

“If our cables are faulty, they should be replaced. Some areas go without electricity for weeks or even months. We are here to know why and to get answers.

“Our businesses are suffering, appliances are damaged and food items stored in refrigerators get spoilt. We need electricity; they should tell us if there is load rationing.”

Also speaking, one of the conveners, Mudi Charles, expressed dissatisfaction over estimated billing and alleged lack of response from IE despite several letters.

“We observed that neighbouring communities on the same tariff enjoy better power supply. We were better off when we were on Band A.

“We are told there is load shedding, but this is affecting our businesses,” he said.

Responding, technical lead in charge of Arepo,  Ezekiel Olushola, commended the protesters for their peaceful conduct.

Mr Olushola attributed the situation to a decline in supply from the national grid.

“What you are experiencing is due to reduced supply from the national grid, and we can only distribute what is allocated to us. I will convey your complaints to management; however, you are advised to formally submit your complaints to the management,” he said.

 (NAN)