FCCPC seals Ikeja Electric headquarters over compliance

FCCPC seals Ikeja Electric headquarters over compliance breach after repeated failure to meet NERC directives, ensuring consumer rights enforcement

The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission on Thursday sealed the corporate headquarters of Ikeja Electric Limited in Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, over alleged non-compliance with consumer protection and regulatory directives. Security agents accompanied the commission during the enforcement operation.

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Staff of Ikeja Electric were ordered to vacate the premises as FCCPC officials placed locks on the building. The utility confirmed the development, assuring that electricity distribution to customers continues unaffected.

Bola Adeyinka, FCCPC Director of Surveillance and Investigation, said the action was taken under the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2018 following repeated engagements that failed to secure compliance.

“Sealing this facility is a proportionate enforcement measure taken only after repeated engagement and several opportunities for voluntary compliance.

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

The dispute centres on a directive from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission requiring Ikeja Electric to unbundle a Maximum Demand account into 20 separate customer units.

The order instructed the company to provide proper metering and connection for 19 residential units and a service point owned by a complainant, who has been without electricity for over two and a half years despite fulfilling all payment obligations.

The FCCPC said repeated notices and compliance deadlines, including a formal notice in October 2025, were ignored by Ikeja Electric.

Responding, Kingsley Okotie, Head of Corporate Communications at Ikeja Electric, described the sealing as “unfortunate” and stressed that the company is actively engaging with the commission to resolve the matter.

“It has to do with a compliance issue raised by the commission. We wrote back, but somehow our position was not fully taken into account.

They are a legal entity, fully backed by law, so we had no choice but to allow them to do their work,” Okotie said.

He added that electricity supply to customers remained uninterrupted, noting that operational centres outside the headquarters continue to function. Okotie urged dialogue to resolve the matter without disrupting service.

“As a responsible organisation, our commitment to distribute electricity to consumers remains intact. We are ensuring coordination of all operational centres so that this issue involving a minority does not affect the majority of customers,” he said.

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The commission has reiterated that compliance with regulatory directives is mandatory and that enforcement actions will continue until consumer rights and NERC orders are fully respected.

Ibrahim Onipede