The Lagos State House of Assembly has intervened in the prolonged dispute between residents of Royal Gardens Estate, Ajah, and the Eko Electricity Distribution Company.
The move followed a petition from the Royal Gardens Estate Residents’ Association after EKEDC disconnected the community from the national grid on May 26, 2024.
PUNCH Metro learnt that the blackout forced residents to depend on diesel generators and solar alternatives.
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At the centre of the dispute is the bulk metering system imposed on the estate, which residents argue violates the Electricity Act of 2023.
“Under the bulk metering arrangement, the estate is billed collectively, leaving individual residents powerless to reconcile their own energy payments with EKEDC,” the association said in a statement made available to PUNCH Metro on Sunday.
While the EKEDC has expressed readiness to migrate the community to direct metering, the estate’s developer, Trojan Estates, has resisted the move —fuelling allegations of manipulation and abuse of authority.
“Beyond electricity, residents accuse the developer of undermining democratic governance in the estate, imposing decisions without consultation, stifling the residents’ association, and interfering in community projects,” the statement added.
It further alleged “indiscriminate service charges, power disconnections despite valid payments, and failure to manage sanitation,” which have worsened tensions within the estate.
To address the crisis, the Assembly’s Committee on Housing has invited representatives of RGERA to a meeting scheduled for Tuesday, September 23, at the Assembly Complex in Alausa, Ikeja.
According to a letter signed by the Clerk of the House, B. Onafeko, the session is expected to bring all parties together for deliberations on the lingering electricity and governance disputes.
