Lagos State Resident Threaten Mass Protest Over Solar Tax, Following Failed, unreliable Electricity Supply by Govt

The dispute arises as a growing number of homes and businesses switch from the unstable public electricity supply to solar power. Residents have long lamented frequent blackouts, exorbitant energy bills, and the growing expense of using solar, inverters, and generators to power homes and businesses.

The proposed levy’s opponents contend that for many Lagos residents who receive insufficient electricity from the national grid, solar energy has become a necessity rather than a luxury. They argue that charging solar users more would raise living expenses even more and deter investment in renewable energy sources.

Given that many communities still struggle with inconsistent electricity supply, some locals have questioned why authorities would try to tax alternative power sources. According to them, government efforts should focus on improving access to reliable power rather than introducing new charges on those who have invested in self-generation.

Lagos State Ministry of Housing officials confronting a resident over solar panels installed on his home in a widely shared video on social media recently infuriated the state’s citizens.

Officials from the ministry’s monitoring and compliance unit were seen in the video requesting that the resident get permission and pay a fee before the installation could begin.

In response, the state government declared that only residents of its social housing estates are eligible for permits and administrative fees for solar power installations; private homeowners and tenants throughout the state are not.

The anger of the populace is complex. On the other hand, some people are furious that the government is pursuing taxpayers rather than thanking them for filling the void.

For many Lagosians, the problem extends well beyond solar energy; they see it as an additional layer in what they characterize as an expanding system of levies, approvals, and charges imposed on citizens who are already compelled to provide for their own basic needs.

“The state government has no right to sell God’s energy,” said Anthony Osewele, a businessman who lives in one of the private estates in Lagos’ Amuwo Odofin neighborhood.

“You wonder if people still have any conscience at all when they choose to claim the role of God.”

Marcellus Onah, a lawyer, further supports Osewele’s position by emphasizing that locals are adopting solar power as a necessity compelled by the failure of the public electricity supply rather than as a luxury.

“People are purchasing solar because the government hasn’t been able to supply reliable electricity, which is the bare minimum that any responsible government ought to provide.

“We supply our own water.” We produce our own electricity. We repair the roads that surround us. The government still wants to charge us for attempting to survive in spite of all of this. It is very bad and unacceptable,” he stated.

An estate agent, Rowland Adebayo, also lamented that Lagosians are increasingly being suffocated by multiple taxes and levies without corresponding public services.

“They have imposed road parking fees, demand tenement rates, and add new levies on a daily basis.