The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) sealed the headquarters of Ikeja Electric in Lagos on Thursday, 11 December 2025 after the utility repeatedly ignored a binding order from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
NERC had instructed Ikeja Electric to split a Maximum Demand (MD) account into twenty non‑MD accounts, treat each of the nineteen residential units and the complainant’s service point as separate customers, and install the required meters and connections.
The company failed to implement the directive, leaving the complainant without electricity for more than two and a half years despite having met all financial obligations.
The FCCPC had engaged Ikeja Electric on several occasions. In April 2025 it issued a formal directive outlining the steps and timelines for compliance, and on 2 October 2025 it served a compliance notice demanding full implementation within seven business days. Neither notice prompted any action from the distribution company.
As a result, the Commission determined that the utility’s conduct constituted a breach of consumer rights and warranted enforcement under the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA).
Sections 17 and 18 of the FCCPA empower the FCCPC to resolve complaints, issue directives, and take enforcement measures, including the sealing of premises when an undertaking’s conduct causes or prolongs consumer harm.
Section 124 prohibits unfair tactics such as withholding essential services, while Sections 150 and 155 provide for compliance notices and criminalise continued infringements.
These provisions formed the statutory basis for the sealing, which the Commission described as a proportionate response after repeated opportunities for voluntary compliance.
The seal will remain in place until Ikeja Electric fully complies with both NERC’s and the FCCPC’s directives and furnishes written evidence of that compliance.
The Commission reaffirmed its commitment to protecting consumers’ rights to fair treatment and timely access to essential services and warned that it will continue to enforce the law against any service provider that fails to meet its obligations.
