Six-month blackout could
    be frustrating for any community in Nigeria. One-year black could be outrageous. But what would you say of blackout in Nigerian Community for sixteen years?
This is the reality with Aivoji, Ogblogbo, Gbethrome, Asakpo, Boglo, Fanuvi, Yard, Bapo and their other neighbouring communities located near Seme border.
The Tide gathered that these communities had electricity before but it went off and for over 16 years, they have never seen any flicker of light, a situation that frustrates the socio-economic existence of people in the area.
A former student union President of the Lagos State University, Comrade Badaru Abdul-Basit, led thousands of frustrated residents of the communities on a protest to draw the attention of government to their plight recently.
Abdul-Basit said as a son of the soil the situation is shameful and appealed for urgent attention to end the long suffering of the people.
He said, “the people cannot start up small scale businesses, they cannot even connect with the outside world. Our leaders have played politics with our lives and future.”
 “We are people of great prospects; but most of us have taken to smuggling because we cannot start up viable businesses. We would want the government to come to our rescue and help us,” he stated.
Comrade Abdul-Basit revealed that even the ongoing election in the country does not mean anything to his people. “We have instituted a slogan among ourselves here which says, ‘No Electricity, no election,” no light, no voting.” All we simply want is that they provide for our social welfare-electricity, water, good schools, and hospitals.”
Prince Charles one of the residents regretted that severally, they have made attempt to get the attention of the government to their plight but to no avail.
“We import everything that we use here including pure water, ice blocks, cold drinks. A bottle of coke here costs about N100, multina N170.00,” said Mr Timothy Oyetayo, a trader in the community.
However some group of women protestants said the government have treated them like lesser beings. They say even a litre of fuel that cost 87.00 per litre in other parts of the country costs N100 – N120 at Seme border communities because most of the stations depend on generators to run their businesses.