Lagos landlord raises the alarm over dangerous electricity pole

April 15, 2017 The Nerd Community 0 Comments

After about two years of trying to get officials of the Ikeja Electric to repair a tilting pole in front of his house at the GRA, Ikeja, Lagos, a landlord, Captain Dayo Ayorinde, has raised the alarm over the danger it continues to pose to his life and property.

The pole in question at 3, Ladoke Akintola Street, GRA, Ikeja, is only held up by a cable attached to Ayorinde’s house. He fears that if that suddenly snaps and the pole falls, the damage may be enormous.

Ayorinde said having lodged complaints at different times at offices of IE over the last two years, he was left with no choice but to publicly raise the alarm.

When Saturday PUNCH visited the scene, the pole was standing beside a second one, which was equally tilting precariously and overlooking Ayorinde’s compound and seemed ready to fall at any point in time.

Related Post:President Buhari sends Easter message to the nation

He said, “I wrote a letter to the company. I went to their office opposite the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital. I called their business office around Obafemi Awolowo Road, Ikeja, where I spoke with one Mr. Okafor. I complained so many times, but they just ignored me.

“Each time I complained, they promised to come there and fix the pole. But the truth is they just could not be bothered.”

According to him, he even had to take a photograph of the pole at a point just to reinforce how serious the problem is, yet nothing was done.

Ayorinde said he even had to lodge a verbal complaint at the Ikeja Electric’s headquarters at Alausa, Ikeja but got no result.

Electrocution by fallen electricity poles or high tension cables is not a strange occurrence in Lagos.

In 2016, many of such cases were recorded in Lagos. In Oke-Ira, a woman identified as Florence Okanlawon was electrocuted. The same month, another woman, Loretta Ewere, was electrocuted just one month to her wedding in Idimu area of Lagos.

Saturday PUNCH later learnt that Okafor, whom Ayorinde said he once complained to, is the network operation manager of the area.

When our correspondent contacted him, he said he could not recall such complaint ever lodged in his office.

He said, “You know I am a public man and people might just mention my name while complaining. We have a manager in charge of that network but since you have given me the address. I will personally send my men to visit the place from location.

“We will be there tomorrow (Saturday) to see things for ourselves and so reach out to him. I will take up the issue immediately.”