Over 40 Ikeja Electric Band A feeders missed 20 hours of power: what to do if you are affected

Ikeja Electric has apologised after more than 40 of its Band A feeders failed to deliver the minimum 20 hours of electricity a day on 1 and 2 November, with some getting about six hours and one getting none. Most of the shortfalls were blamed on instability on the national grid. Residents of parts of Lagos Island protested over blackouts on Tuesday as the state warns of extreme heat. Here is what the notice says, and what you can do if your supply falls short.

In a public notice signed by its management on Tuesday 3 November, Ikeja Electric apologised for 'falling short of the expected minimum service level of 20 hours of supply' on Band A feeders on 1 and 2 November. The three-page list covers more than 40 feeders serving parts of Ikeja, Shomolu, Akowonjo, Oshodi and Abule Egba. The Lateef Jakande feeder in Ikeja got 6.03 hours of supply on 1 November and the Apata feeder in Shomolu 6.08 hours, while the Igbobi Railway feeder in Shomolu got under eight hours on both days. A 33kV feeder serving a data centre in Ogba recorded no supply on either day because of a fault. The company's post of the notice on X had been viewed more than 200,000 times by Wednesday morning.

For most feeders, Ikeja Electric gave the reason as 'outage due to grid instability' and named the Transmission Company of Nigeria as the party responsible. For others it listed faults on its own 11kV and 33kV lines or limits on its power transformers. The company has issued similar notices almost daily since early October, and on 6 and 19 October it said reduced supply was due to a shortfall in the power allocated to it from the national grid, TheCable reported. On 19 October, national generation fell from 3,840 megawatts to 476.70 megawatts within hours, according to grid operator data cited by Pulse; the operator denied that the grid had collapsed.

On Tuesday, residents of Lewis, Okesuna, Beecroft, Simpson and Sandgrouse streets on Lagos Island marched over blackouts, chanting in Yoruba 'Give us light, the heat is killing us', Pulse reported. It was not clear how many people took part, and neither the Lagos State Government nor the electricity company serving the area had commented at the time of Pulse's report. The protest came two days after the Lagos State Government warned residents to prepare for extreme heat as El Niño conditions strengthen, urging them to stay hydrated and avoid long exposure to direct sunlight, Punch and TheCable reported.

Electricity has also become a campaign issue. Dele Alake, spokesperson for the APC Presidential Campaign Council, defended President Tinubu's power record and said his 2023 promise on electricity should be judged together with his qualification that he would give reasons if it was not met, Premium Times and Punch reported. ADC presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar said Nigerians had yet to see results and proposed replacing the tariff band system.

Pidgin: Ikeja Electric don apologise say pass 40 Band A feeders no get the 20 hours light wey dem suppose get on 1 and 2 November. Some areas get only six hours, one no get anything. Dem blame grid wahala. If you dey Band A and light no dey reach, write your outage times down, complain to your DisCo and keep the ticket number. If dem no solve am, call LASCOPA free line 080 0005 2726.

How this affects you: Band A customers pay the highest tariff and should get an average of at least 20 hours of electricity a day. Under regulators' rules, feeders that keep falling short can be downgraded to a lower band and customers compensated; in May 2025, for example, NERC ordered distribution companies to compensate customers on 213 Band A feeders and downgrade 18. Find your feeder name on your bill or from customer care and check it against the company's notices. Write down the times your supply goes off and comes back. Complain to your distribution company first, in writing if you can, and keep the ticket number. If the complaint is not resolved, the Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency takes electricity complaints on its toll-free line, 080 0005 2726, on weekdays; bring your bills and payment receipts. In the heat, drink water, keep rooms ventilated, and never run a generator indoors or near windows.