FCCPC Seals Ikeja Electric Headquarters in Ikeja

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has sealed the headquarters of Ikeja Electric Distribution Company (IKEDC) in the Alausa area of Lagos.

The Commission said the power distribution company’s office was sealed for violation of consumer rights.

According to FCCPC’s Director of Surveillance and Investigation, Bola Adeyinka, the move was in line with the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA) 2018.

“Sealing this facility is a proportionate enforcement measure taken only after repeated engagement and several opportunities for voluntary compliance,” Adeyinka said in a statement on Thursday.

“The seal will remain in place until Ikeja Electric complies fully with the directives issued by both NERC and the FCCPC and provides written evidence of that compliance,” Adeyinka added.

UPDATE: Ikeja Electric reacts

Reacting to the development in a chat with Nairametrics, IKEDC Head of Corporate Communications, Mr. Kingsley Okotie, said the company would continue to engage with the Commission to resolve the matter as soon as possible.

According to him, the issue with FCCPC was based on an isolated case of a customer demanding multiple meters.

“The non-compliance issue being referred to is about a customer using his property as a hotel with singe maximum demand meter and later converted the property to residential, with a demand for 20 non-maximum meters on the same address,” he explained.

He noted that effecting this change is not an easy process, adding that the company had tried to explain this to the FCCPC.

Speaking on how the sealing will affect the operations of the distribution company, Okotie said all operations happened at the headquarters and could have been disrupted but the company is doing everything to ensure that its operations continue seamlessly.

“Our focus is to ensure supply is not disrupted as long as we have supply on our feeders,” he said.

He, however, noted that the company would continue to engage with the consumer watchdog to ensure the issue is resolved amicably.

What you should know

Last year, in November, the FCCPC as part of its regulatory oversight in the power sector, had threatened to penalize IKEDC and Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDP) if they flout its directive to immediately halt the replacement of Unistar prepaid meters.

This directive was issued due to the DisCos’ non-compliance with instructions from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the FCCPC, Mr. Tunji Bello, had emphasized that NERC’s order mandates DISCOs to prioritize metering for unmetered customers under the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP) and to adhere strictly to guidelines when replacing faulty or obsolete meters.