AREPO AND CRISIS OF ELECTRICITY

Electricity in Arepo and surrounding areas is increasingly unreliable, according to Akinolu Akinpelumi. Residents experience frequent power outages, ranging from hours to days, as the community continues to expand. The main issues involve transformers, feeders, transmission lines, and other components of the electricity network.

While residents have engaged with Ikeja Electric for repairs and explanations, the core issue is whether the existing infrastructure can reliably deliver power to growing numbers of consumers. Arepo has seen rapid development, with new homes, businesses, and demand for electricity, placing increasing pressure on the network. The repeated transformer failures, like Balogun Distribution Transformer 2, highlight the need for a deeper investigation into the transformer's condition, loading, and the overall network.

Extending beyond Arepo, some outages originate from upstream transmission issues, demonstrating that responsibility for maintaining power supply should be shared among generation, transmission, distribution, regulators, and consumers. The Band B classification system for electricity supply must align with the service customers pay for and the network's actual performance.

However, downgrading service tiers should not be a substitute for addressing infrastructure problems. The consequences of unreliable electricity extend beyond mere inconvenience, affecting businesses, families, and essential services like water supply and internet access. In response, Arepo's proactive engagement with Ikeja Electric demonstrates a positive step toward demanding accountability.

However, this engagement must yield concrete information about the failures, repair efforts, and preventive measures. Nigeria should transition from merely repairing damaged infrastructure to conducting comprehensive technical assessments that consider transformer capacity, feeder loading, peak demand, fault history, upstream constraints, and future growth.

This assessment should inform the creation of a robust infrastructure master plan. Ultimately, Arepo's challenges mirror the broader electricity crisis facing Nigeria, where not only is there a need for increased power generation, but also for reliable transmission and distribution infrastructure. The objective should not merely be to restore electricity, but to build a resilient system capable of maintaining power supply.