Tensions are rising as Sagamu youths have issued a stern warning to IBEDC officials. In a post that has gone viral across WhatsApp groups, one resident declared: "I swear if those NEPA carry any stupid ladder around, God will break their head. We youth do not conclude. How on earth will a great town like Sagamu be thrown into darkness by these criminals called NEPA?"
The warning reflects the growing anger among young people who have watched their businesses collapse and daily life grind to a halt while industrial areas enjoy steady power. Another viral message read: "Nobody is supposed to pay this fraudulent NEPA/IBEDC people at all. They have sold Sagamu light to Chinese companies and factories. They dare not off the light for just five minutes in any of these companies. Before you know it, a bigger boss will call and they'll restore it."
The protest has united residents across all zones, with reports pouring in from Obaruwa, Agbowa, Ewu-oliwo, Araromi, Agura, Ijagba, Isote, Atoyo, Ajaka, and other communities. Each zone shares the same story: darkness, frustration, and mounting bills for electricity never received.
Despite the intervention of Local Government Chairman Jubril Afolabi Odulate, who secured a moratorium on disconnections and estimated billing, residents remain skeptical. Many noted that power was briefly restored in some areas only to vanish again, fueling suspicions that the company is playing games with the community.
"Them give us light this morning for Orita Merin, but since they off am, we never see light again," one resident lamented. Another observed: "They on it view minutes ago and they just on it back now. I pray make the light stay long. I bought 30-liter fuel for ₦25,000 last week Wednesday, and the fuel just finished yesterday. I'm going to buy today now because of my drinks to cold."
The economic toll is devastating. Small business owners are spending their profits on fuel, families are enduring suffocating heat, and students cannot study at night. One resident captured the collective despair: "Suffer don master us for this Sagamu. I have never seen when we used 20 hours light for this Sagamu before."
Youth leaders have vowed to maintain the pressure through lawful means, but warnings are growing sharper. "Am assuring you my other comrades that no matter how they promise, the end of their lives will be in 'blackout forever,'" one post read. Another insisted: "Sagamu is not a village, it's full of towns and cities. Enough of this electrical slavery. Stop selling our electricity to companies. We deserve good electricity—it's our right."
The protest has also sparked calls for involving elected representatives at state and federal levels. A resident demanded: "Please extend a town hall meeting to the elected leaders at both the state and federal levels who represent Sagamu. They need to answer that question. We can't keep talking every time on social media. Let's go out there and visit them at their office. Let's protest."
As day four of the protest unfolds, the Sagamu Youth Association's Committee on Electricity Issues continues coordinating with zonal representatives, preparing for the proposed stakeholders' summit with GenCos, TCN, and IBEDC. But with patience wearing thin and anger mounting, the question on every resident's mind remains: When will the lights come back on?
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