Phidel College cries out to FG, Lagos govt, IE over erratic, disruptive supply

…Says development destroying school’s projectors, computers, others

By Ihechukwu Sunday

Management and staff of Phidel Group of Schools in Isheri Olofin, Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State are calling on the Federal Government of Nigeria, the Lagos State Government and the Ikeja Electric (IE) to urgently come to their rescue.
According to the chairman, Phidel Group of Schools, Pastor Ayodele Philip Adelusi, IE just woke up one day and moved the school to Band ‘A’ without any form of consultation. He lamented that instead of enjoying 20 to 22 hours of electricity supply per day as those on Band ‘A’ are legally entitled to, the school has been getting eight to 10 hours of electricity supply per day, despite the fact that the bill now hovers between N4 million and N7 million every month.
He also noted that paying outrageous bills and not receiving what was paid for is not the main problem, as according to him, the main issue is the erratic nature of electricity supply which he said had damaged most of the school equipment, including science equipment, running into millions of Naira.
In a protest letter dated February 10, 2026, by the school’s management to the Business Manager, Ikeja Electric Office, Alagutan, Pastor Adelusi demanded an immediate reversion from Band ‘A’ to whatever Band the school was operating before it was taken to Band ‘A’. He noted that in the alternative, the school should be given 20 t0 22 hours of steady electricity supply, not the current erratic supply that has destroyed most of the school’s equipment.
Part of the letter read: “We are charged at the premium rate of N209.5/kWh under the Band A classification, with an explicit guarantee of 20 to 24 hours of daily power supply. But, the actual situation at Idimu has stood in sharp contrast to these assurances.
“The premium service that we pay for is still unreal. We still have to rely on heavy-duty generators to keep our classrooms operational and our students safe because of the frequent, protracted outages.
“This situation’s economic effects are getting out of control. These days, our average monthly electricity bills range from N5 million to N8 million. The financial burden has become unbearable when you consider the exorbitant cost of diesel needed to fill the gap during your frequent outages.
“As an educational institution, these costs are unsustainable. In addition to paying the operating expenses of a self-sufficient organisation, we are being charged for a luxury service that we do not receive.
“We cannot bear these losses any longer. The sustainability of our school is seriously threatened if this issue is not resolved right away and we might not be able to control how things turn out in terms of our operational continuity.
“We humbly, yet firmly, request that Phidel Group of Schools should be taken out of Band A and put back into a more sustainable billing tier that accurately represents the number of hours that the Idimu area actually receives electricity.
“Or Ikeja Electric must promptly ensure and provide the required 20 to 24 hours of daily supply as required by Nigeria Electric Regulatory Agency’s (NERC) guidelines if we are to stay on Band A.
“We have always been committed to fulfilling our financial obligations to IE, but we cannot pay for premium darkness. We trust you will treat this with the urgency it deserves to prevent the total collapse of our business operations.”
Also, the director of the schools, Ademola Adelusi also decried the epileptic power supply by the IE saying, “Within an interval of 30 minutes, they can bring light and take it, like 30 times. They are destroying our equipment and the cost of repairs is just alarming. Most of our projectors and television sets are no longer functioning due to this same light issue. I don’t know what the issue is. When we contacted them, they said it’s not their fault. They should find a solution as soon as possible.”

Principal of Phidel College, Olowolaimo Olalekan noted that the school was getting an average of about 16 to 18 hours before it was taken to Band A. “What should have been an improvement from what we used to have since we now pay more, has turned out to be a nightmare. We have never had 12 hours of light since we were forcefully migrated to Band ‘A.’
Decrying the current electricity situation in the school, which he said started in July 2025 when the school was put on Band ‘A’, he said: “The solution is very simple. They should return us to where we were before they migrated us to Band ‘A’ or if we must remain in Band ‘A,’ they should give us between 20 and 22 hours of electricity because that was the assurance given to us before the migration.
“We can’t be paying for Band A at that rate and still not getting light meant for Band A. You have seen the bill. We pay between N6 million and N8 million a month.”
Another staff of the College, Emmanuel Okeleke equally noted that the epileptic nature of power supply in the area has made it difficult for anybody to plan with it, even as he described the situation as sheer extortion.
“For me, I feel it’s extortion. You cannot be in Band B and be having eight hours and I’m in Band A and having eight hours when I’m paying a higher tariff than you. There is no justification for that kind of service and that’s what we are saying. Let’s go back to where the services they are providing are being billed or provide the service for what we are being billed,” he added.
For Adeyemi Asama, IE should just take the school back to where they were or improve on the current band. “We want to be returned to either where we were before or improve on the services being provided for us. This is because previously, we enjoyed more light hours than today. So, we want improvement or in the alternative, return us to where we were,” he said.
Ashekere Olawale said what is happening to the College is deliberate. He said: “Without mincing words, I know it is a deliberate act to punish us in this area of Isheri. This area is called Isheri Olofin. I live in the Iyana-Ipaja area. We are all in Band A and we enjoy frequent light.
“As I speak to you, now in my house, no matter how bad it is, we still enjoy light 19 to 20 hours every day. Yet, where we pay more, the services are so poor.
“So, my options: if we pay less and we still enjoy 14 to 16 hours of light and now we are paying more and we are not even enjoying it at all, let us go back to where we were. And whoever we have offended should forgive us. We are all Nigerians.”
Adedipe Victor also decried the epileptic supply of the electricity, saying it is destroying the schools equipment. “They bring the light up and in under five minutes, it’s off and it is destroying our equipment. We are in Band A, meaning we are supposed to have constant supply, but that’s not happening and it is unacceptable,” he said.