Residents of Otokiti Housing Estate and neighbouring communities in Lokoja, Kogi State, have decried the prolonged power outage that has plunged the affected areas into darkness for over a week, accusing the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) of failing to explain the cause of the blackout.
The residents said electricity supply to Otokiti Housing Estate, New Mami, parts of Zone 8 and adjoining communities was disrupted around midnight on Monday, July 20, 2026, and had not been restored as of Wednesday, July 29.
According to the residents, AEDC has yet to issue any official statement or public notice on the cause of the outage or provide a timeline for the restoration of power.
One of the affected residents, who spoke on condition of anonymity, criticised what he described as the electricity distribution company’s “indifferent attitude,” particularly among officials overseeing the Otokiti area.
He said the prolonged outage had caused severe hardship for households and business owners, with many residents losing perishable food items kept in refrigerators and freezers due to the lack of electricity.
He added that traders and other entrepreneurs whose businesses rely heavily on electricity had been forced to halt operations, leading to substantial financial losses.
The resident also expressed concern that despite being without electricity for several days, customers could still be issued estimated bills at the end of the month, describing such a move as unjust and unacceptable.
The affected residents appealed to the management of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company to urgently restore electricity supply to the affected communities and address the lingering outage.
They further called on the appropriate regulatory authorities to intervene, ensure improved service delivery, and promote greater transparency and effective communication between AEDC and its customers.
