Royal Gardens Estate residents cry out over punitive bulk metering, soaring charges

Residents of Royal Gardens Estate in Ajah, Lagos, have appealed to the Lagos State House of Assembly to intervene in their protracted dispute with developer, Trojan Estate, over electricity supply and service charges, describing themselves as victims of systemic injustice.

At a hearing before the House Committee on Housing, chaired by Mr. Segun Ege, the Chairman of the Royal Gardens Estate Residents Association (RGERA), Mr. Anthony Ogbebor, said the community had endured unfair practices for more than a decade, with the situation deteriorating sharply in the past 18 months.

He identified the controversial bulk-metering system as the most pressing concern. The arrangement, introduced after the estate’s communal generator could no longer meet demand, connects all households to a single meter in a common area, leaving residents jointly responsible for the estate’s cumulative bill.

“Right now, I have over 4,000 units on my prepaid meter but no electricity because of the block-metering system. We have met our obligations, yet we are being punished by a system that is clearly against the law,” Ogbebor lamented.

He added that while neighbouring estates such as VGC and Crown Estate are directly metered by the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), Trojan Estate had repeatedly blocked similar efforts in Royal Gardens.

“EKEDC has confirmed its readiness to meter us directly. Yet the developer, who does not even live here, insists on a system that is financially crippling residents,” he said.

The crisis escalated in April 2024 when tariffs rose from ₦74 to ₦241 per kilowatt hour, pushing the estate’s monthly electricity bill from about ₦60 million to nearly ₦290 million. With residents unable to cope, the estate has been in blackout since May 26, 2024.

Ogbebor further alleged that Trojan Estate had ignored invitations from the Nigerian Electricity Commission (NEC) to mediate and instead challenged the regulator’s jurisdiction in court. The matter has stalled for over a year.

Lawmakers have now directed Trojan Estate to present court documents and hinted at seeking the intervention of the Chief Judge to fast-track judgment.

The residents are demanding two remedies: the abolition of the bulk-metering system in favour of direct EKEDC metering, and greater transparency in the collection and use of service charges.

As of press time, Trojan Estate had not issued a public response.