Idowu Abdullahi
Residents of Raji Oba, Awoyemi, Folarin, Ajala, Olonade, and Akinshola streets in the Alimosho area of Lagos State have heaved a sigh of relief after power was restored in their community.
This is coming after the residents, including nursing and expectant mothers, endured a 122-day power outage which led to a supply water crisis.
The development followed a PUNCH HealthWise report that spotlighted the prolonged blackout and its impact on infants, nursing mothers, pregnant women, and other residents’ health and livelihoods.
Confirming the development to our correspondent in a WhatsApp chat, a member of the community association identified simply as Alao, said power was restored around 5:30 on July 11, 2025.
“Power has been restored this evening around 5:30 pm,” the resident confirmed to our correspondent.
The community association member had informed our correspondent on July 3, 2025, that officials of the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company brought an electric transformer to replace the faulty one, a development he said brought relief to hundreds of households.
“The presence of a transformer has been confirmed at its site/spot just now.
“The head of the technical team has confirmed, and they should complete the necessary work between today and tomorrow, if possible,” he said.
Sharing her excitement with PUNCH HealthWise, a nursing mother and resident of Olonade Street, Mrs Cristiana Dasu, said the water scarcity experienced during the blackout is now a thing of the past.
“I can better cater for my newborn now. He has seen NEPA light after several days of being born. The room is now cool with our fans working.
“Everything is back to normal. We don’t have water issues anymore. Though since we’ve been placed on Band A, the cost of electricity for our household has increased, but we feel the difference.”
Also, a pregnant woman and resident of Akinsola Street, Abimbola Olayemi, appreciated PUNCH HealthWise for its report on the blackout.
She explained that the last three months without light were hectic for her as an expectant mother.
“We are very grateful for your support during the blackout which lasted about three to four months. Everywhere was dark and there was heightened fear of insecurity.
“It was hectic for me as a pregnant woman during the blackout. I was always scared. Because of the heat, I wake up in the middle of the night two to three times to check around during the night,” Olayemi said.
Further narrating her ordeal during the blackout, she said, “Also, I cooked everyday during that time and it was stressful for me as a pregnant woman because I cannot store food in the freezer. But now, with the light back, I can cook and store conveniently. It is not stressful for residents to get water anymore. Unlike before when both adults and little children have to wake early to fetch water.”
On her part, a 28-year-old resident of Awoyemi, Mrs Dolapo Awodeko, said the water crisis caused by the blackout was now in the past.
According to her, I can now sleep and rest well with my 10-month-old baby since the light has been restored.
“Before now, I stayed up for longer hours making sure my baby was okay. But that is no more the case and both me and the baby can sleep comfortably under the AC.
“Since the light was restored. The money spent to generate power is now being used for other household needs. I have not had to buy fuel in the last four days,” she said.
The residents attributed the swift response of Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company to the PUNCH HealthWise report and called for sustained attention to the infrastructure needs of underserved areas.
PUNCH HealthWise in its report titled, “Blackout: Nursing mothers, pregnant women in Lagos community groan over water crisis” published on Sunday, June 29,2025, detailed how the community was plunged into darkness after its transformer broke down.
The report spotlighted how nursing and expectant mothers in affected streets lamented how the over three-month blackout worsened the water crisis in the community.
They explained that caring for their newborns and older children in the area of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene became herculean.
The pregnant women and nursing mothers, who spoke with PUNCH HealthWise, said the blackout began after the electric transformer serving the six streets developed a fault in March 2025.
According to them, many residents now depend on water vendors, popularly called ‘mai ruwa’, who sell water in carts at high prices.
On June 25, 2025, Dasu was having difficulty pacifying her 10-day-old son crying profusely, when our correspondent, who visited the community, approached her.
She explained that the heat had become unbearable for her and her newborn.
“The issue of the power outage had made life unbearable for me and the baby. Since I gave birth to my baby 10 days ago, he hasn’t had a good sleep due to the heat.
“The baby hasn’t been sleeping well. Even his older sibling is not sleeping well. Before now, my daughter had rashes over her face due to the heat,” she said.
The mother-of-two told our correspondent that her husband spends N8,000 every day on fuel to power the generating set for her one-room apartment.
She explained that despite using alternative sources of power, there’s no substitute for water.
“Every day, my husband buys N8,000 fuel, which doesn’t last us over the night. The generator goes off around 2 am, and the room becomes an oven after that.
“I had to buy a rechargeable lamp for N7,000 just to tend to my baby at night. While the heat is being managed by a rationing generator, the water crisis is affecting me and my baby.
“I have called ‘malam’ since morning, and they haven’t answered. I don’t have the strength to go search for water because I have my newborn to tend to,” she said.
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