Residents of Aina Street, Aguda, in the Surulere area of Lagos State, have raised the alarm over the condition of the electric pole connected to a transformer supplying power to more than five streets in the area.
The residents claimed that they had done reinforcement to hold the pole together before it snapped beyond repair.
They feared that it could fall anytime and cause a major disaster.
The people claimed that when they contacted officials of the Eko Electricity Distribution Company, the community was advised to patch the pole because there was no replacement.
A worshipper at Idera Mosque where the pole is planted, Malik Jolaiya, said it had been drooping for over two years but broke completely from its base two months ago.
He said, “This pole has been bent like this for some years now. We complained to the chairman of the street and he went to EKEDC. They came to inspect it and told us to make reinforcement to hold it. But we cannot do that because it has completely broken from its base.
“If this pole falls, it will cause a power outage and no one knows how long it will take before they will fix it. Also, if it falls when there is power, it may kill people because it is directly connected to our transformer and that makes it more dangerous for us living here.”
observed that almost all the electric poles in the street were bent, and the snapped pole was held by an iron cable fastened to the ground in front of the mosque.
Our correspondent also saw an email sent to the EKEDC customer care unit, Mushin, with pictures of the pole, requesting that the officials come to avert the impending doom.
The Chairman of the street, Babatunde Okanlawon, said when he noticed the condition of the pole, he went to the EKEDC district headquarters, Orile, to complain.
He said, “I went with a video of the pole to help them understand the urgency of the matter, but I was told that they were out of poles and would get back to us when poles were available.
“After a month, I went there again with another video stressing that the danger was near because the pole kept drooping. I told them that if the pole fell, it would cause a big calamity that would not only affect our street but all those using the transformer and even the high tension cables.”
He said nothing came out of the complaints.
The EKEDC Operations Manager, Akangba, Tijanni Eyitayo, confirmed that the residents complained about the problem.
He said, “I have booked a pole for them.”
When asked how long it would take to get the pole and save the people from danger, he said, “We do not have any pole in the store now, but as soon as it is available, it will be forwarded to them.”
