- Safiu Kehinde
The Lagos State House of Assembly has summoned the leadership of the Royal Gardens Estate Residents Association (RGERA), Ajah, for a meeting over the protracted governance and electricity crisis in the estate managed by President Bola Tinubu’s brother Kunle Tinubu.
This is coming days after the association petitioned the Assembly over the lingering crisis which had thrown the once-prestigious community into turmoil.
Reacting in a letter issued on Saturday by the Clerk of the House, O.B. Onafeko, the Assembly summoned the Association’s Chairman to appear before its Committee on Housing on Tuesday, September 23, at the Assembly Complex, Alausa, Ikeja.
“Further to the receipt of your petition on the above subject, I write to invite you to a meeting with the Committee on Housing. You are enjoined to attend the meeting along with relevant documents that would facilitate fruitful deliberations,” the letter stated.
According to report, the intervention follows years of deepening disputes between residents and the estate’s developer, Trojan Estates, owned by Kunle Tinubu, particularly over electricity supply and governance structures.
For over a year, Royal Gardens Estate had suffered acute power outage following the disconnection of the community from the national grid by the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) on May 26, 2024.
The crisis brewed out of the alleged imposition of a bulk metering system under which the entire estate is billed collectively, in violation of the 2023 Electricity Act.
Unlike other estates like VGC, Nicon Town, and Crown Estate, who have successfully transitioned to direct metering, Trojan Estates had reportedly resisted such reforms.
Rather, the estate developer insisted on maintaining the bulk system despite the EKEDC’s readiness to migrate Royal Gardens to direct billing if permitted.
This had reportedly left residents, who are forced to pay a controversial N27,000 monthly electricity levy, plunged into darkness whenever there is a shortfall in payments to EKEDC, irrespective of whether individuals have topped up their meters.
Also subject of dispute in the estate is its leadership crisis.
Residents accused Trojan Estates of unilateral decision-making and a refusal to recognise the democratically elected RGERA executive committee.
Also among allegations levelled against Trojan are attempts to dismantle community-funded infrastructure such as solar streetlights, arbitrary disconnection of homes, imposition of service charges without consultation, and a breakdown in basic services such as waste collection.
“The crisis in Royal Gardens Estate is not just about electricity or infrastructure—it is about fairness, justice, and the right of every resident to live in dignity and peace,” the RGERA had stated in a recent petition.
Trojan’s insistence had seen the crisis transcended into legal war following the intervention of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
NERC had reportedly invited both parties for hearings on direct metering.
However, Trojan refused to honour the invitation and instead filed a lawsuit challenging NERC’s authority.
The matter, brought under Trojan’s operating company, Solar Gardens Project Ltd, is currently before Justice D.I. Dipeolu of the Federal High Court, Lagos.