By Ishola Balogun and EBUN SESSOU
Esther Oluwafunmilayo Ololade, a 300 level student in Lagos State University in Epe area of Lagos, might not be able to recount the ordeal she has been going through since she gained admission into the school three years ago.

Although, she was full of enthusiasm when she received the news of her admission into the University and so it was expected of her that everything would go as planed.  Unfortunately, her expectation was cut short as the new area she relocated to has been posing different challenges into her life.

A visit to Epe area of Lagos revealed that Esther is not the only one yearning for electricity in this area, but the entire people in that community are also not singing a better song.  Indeed they have lost count of the last day they saw electricity in their homes.  Most residents solely depend on generating sets.

Epe in Lagos

At Ayetoro, the commercial hub of the town, the atmosphere is enough to tell the unpleasant scenarios told by everyone in the community.

Stephen Banwo, a motorist  who lives in Epe Central area, told Saturday Vanguard that, one major problem in the community is the issue of electricity.

According to him, “there hadn’t been electricity in the whole of Epe community for a long time and this problem has been the same for the past few years.

“We don’t know why we have been subjected to such hardship. We have been living all our lives on energy derived from generating set. We have been shying away from saying the truth on the issue of electricity but now,  believe it is better to face the reality so that our problems can be lifted, he lamented.

“As much as it is important for a community to have electricity, Epe hasn’t a better place when it comes to electricity. As one of the localities in the state, electricity has been the major problem but we want the federal government to help us. We want the government to come to our aid”, he pleaded.

Recounting her ordeal, Esther told Saturday Vanguard that since she has been in Epe, there is no light in this community. Adding that it has been affecting her studies especially during examination. We use  rays  from torch  and our phones to read.

Asked how she charges her mobile phone, she said, “We bring our phones to the school. And that has been repeating itself since my admission to this school, she added.

And whenever the owners of the shops decided not to switch on their generating set, we will be left in darkness  until we can be able to speak with our parents. We don’t do our tutorials in the evening because of the issue, she lamented.

But, personal reading and studying at night is now the order especially at night, she continued.

“Despite the fact that we don’t have light, we still pay bills. When I was admitted into this school, I never knew it will be as bad as this in this community.

A business woman, who sells foods in the school also buttressed that, their businesses are now run on our business on generator. “For us to continue serving our customers, it is expected of us that we give out our best but it is a pity that our best has been jeopardised by lack of electricity, she said.  All our electronics have been damaged.

An okada man who also lamented on the issue said, “It is an understatement to say, the last time we had light was one year again but the fact that is there are people who have been deprived of their fundamental right.

Talking about bill, he said, “we cannot pay for what we are not consuming. Since people have refused to pay this outrageous bills, PHCN officials themselves have stopped giving people bills to pay for what they didn’t consume.

A man who claimed anonymity also contributed saying:  “Inspite of the darkness the PHCN has plunged the area to, they still come up with bills of what we did not consume.  The entire community now live on generating set,” he said.

When asked to mention some of the activities in Epe, he said, “people who use electricity for their day-today activities are yet to get it. There is no how, we can make use of electricity, not even icing our sachet water. We go to neighbouring villages to buy ice block so as to preserve our foods. So, all our businesses have been deprived of better conditions and we cannot do much on them.

“Due to the poor outage, it is difficult for us to drink portable water. We only drink water from boreholes which is not healthy. Our children have been dying of cholera and this is a big shame for us as a nation. In the past, there was an agency called Water-Works but now, it is not functioning anymore. Even the community development water project by the local government chairmen have stopped working a longtime ago as a result of power”, he lamented.

A motorcyclist noted that since he was born in Epe, electricity problem has never improved. It has remained next to nothing in the town. “It is difficult having electricity for three hours at a stretch in a year.”

Mr Godwin Ezeobi, a business man said, “I have been living here since 2005 and since then, I have been running both my business and house on generator.

For Awonusi Sunday, running a business constantly on generator is not only challenging but it is also financially difficult. He disclosed that the management of the school where his business is situated  had been supportive in terms of generating electricity but could no longer carry the burden, hence “we have been disconnected”, he added.

“We had to increase the prices of our goods and services. If there had been better electricity, things would be lots easier for everybody. Epe is generally in darkness, there is no light. We only generate power through generating set and if we don’t money to purchase fuel, then, there is no electricity. Whenever there is light, it is only for a period of five minutes. They only bring it because they want to share bills. The truth is that since, the past seven years, that I have been living in Epe, there is no day we had two hours of electricity. So,  by my last count in the last seven years, it is about the tenth time we had electricity.” he added.

Meanwhile, Chairman House committee on Information, Lagos State House of Assembly who is also representing Epe constituency 1, Hon Segun Olulade said, people in Epe community are part of Nigeria and it is expected that they are not deprived of their right when it comes to the issue of light.

“Presently, the unfortunate situation in Epe is worrisome and that is why we are calling on people to come to our aids. “There has been total blackout in Epe, as if it is not part of Nigeria, so we are calling on all well meaning Nigerians and people who are in the position to influence the management of PHCN, to intervene in Epe. “More so that the level of consumption is not as what is obtainable in other parts of the state.

Asked if he would use his position to fasten the intervention, he said, we have been agitation on that and we will continue to do that to ensure that people in Epe feel the essence of democracy.