FCCPC, IKEDC, EKEDC hold consumer complaints forum in Ikorodu
Ikorodu (Lagos State), Oct. 2026 (TBL Africa) The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), in collaboration with Ikeja Electric (IKEDC) and Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), on Tuesday held an electricity consumer complaints forum in Ikorodu, to address grievances and promote prompt resolution of disputes.
The theme of the forum is, “Fair Billing, Reliable Service, Speedy Redress: Putting the Electricity Consumer First”.
The Executive Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of FCCPC, Mr Tunji Bello, said the initiative was designed to address persistent complaints relating to estimated billing, delayed metering, disputed bills, improper disconnections and poor electricity supply.
Bello was represented at the event by Mrs Omago Nwachukwu, a Surveillance Officer at FCCPC.
Bello said the programme followed a formal request by the Ikorodu West community for the commission to engage residents and help resolve long-standing electricity-related challenges.
He said the commission was committed to protecting consumers’ rights to fair treatment, accurate billing, transparent information and effective redress whenever service providers failed to meet their obligations.
Bello explained that the FCCPC would continue to collaborate with the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Lagos State Electricity Regulatory Commission (LASERC) and other relevant agencies to ensure that consumers’ complaints were addressed.
“Our presence here is not in competition with any sister agency; it is in partnership. Consumers do not care which agency’s letterhead resolves their complaint. They care that it gets resolved,” he said.
He urged electricity consumers to understand and exercise their rights, including the right to metering, accurate bills, proper notice before disconnection and access to complaint resolution mechanisms.
The FCCPC chief executive also advised consumers to pay for electricity consumed, avoid illegal connections and provide relevant bills and account details when lodging complaints.
Addressing the distribution companies, Bello urged them to empower their representatives at the resolution desks to review disputed bills, arrange meter installations and reconnect consumers whose electricity had been disconnected improperly.
“Let this town hall be remembered not by how many complaints were heard, but by how many were resolved,” he said.
He warned that the commission would not hesitate to deploy its enforcement powers where engagement failed to secure compliance with consumer protection requirements.
Also speaking, Mr Salami Oladokun, Area Inspecting Officer of the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA), urged consumers to verify that their electricity meters had been tested and certified before installation.
Oladokun advised consumers to ask installers for evidence of certification and check for the green seal on their meters.
“We cannot do it alone, so we are encouraging you all to report all badly installed meters. We are currently going round to check for bad ones,” he said.
He reaffirmed NEMSA’s commitment to ensuring that electricity installations met the required standards and served consumers safely.
Similarly, Mr Yusuf Abiodun, General Manager of the Lagos State Consumer Protection Agency (LASCOPA), said the agency had been collaborating with IKEDC to resolve consumer complaints.
Abiodun said the partnership included a monthly forum held on the last Thursday of every month, through which several electricity-related disputes, particularly those involving overbilling, had been addressed.
He disclosed that LASCOPA recovered N4 million for consumers in September, adding that the agency had recovered more than N186 million for consumers since its inception.
“Where we have any issue that we cannot resolve outside our jurisdiction, we refer it to the FCCPC, and they have been doing well,” he said.
Mr Ayodele Dosumu, Chief Commercial Manager of IKEDC, said the company was investing in infrastructure and metering initiatives to improve electricity supply and customer experience across its franchise area.
Dosumu said the company had delivered about 15,000 single-phase and three-phase meters in Ikorodu over the past four years through various metering programmes.
He said the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) programme was ongoing, while the company was constructing an injection substation at the Lagos State University of Science and Technology, to improve electricity supply to surrounding communities.
According to him, the project is expected to improve supply to areas including Ijede, Imota, Odogunyan, Shagamu Interchange and nearby communities, with completion anticipated around December or January.
Dosumu said IKEDC had also replaced about 30 transformers over the past four years and plans to replace an additional 20 in areas where transformers are faulty or overloaded.
He added that the company was introducing infrastructure upgrades and smart metering solutions in selected locations to reduce technical and commercial losses while improving service delivery.
“We are not there yet, but we are starting to get there,” he said, assuring consumers that the company is committed to addressing their complaints.
Dosumu said the forum provided an opportunity for the company to engage directly with customers and resolve outstanding issues.
Earlier, Mr Adeniran Ogunbawo, Chairman of the Community Development Committee (CDC), Ikorodu West, called on IKEDC to provide clearer information on transformer replacement, overloaded facilities and the handling of transformers purchased by communities.
Ogunbawo said residents needed accurate information on the number of transformers awaiting replacement, those already replaced and the company’s plans for addressing areas experiencing inadequate electricity supply.
He expressed concern over a community in Odogunyan, Akpakin, which reportedly funded electricity infrastructure installations but was later informed that the distribution company could not absorb a refurbished transformer.
He urged IKEDC to provide technical guidance to communities before they invested in transformers and other electricity infrastructure to prevent them from purchasing equipment that might not meet the company’s requirements.
Ogunbawo also called for more collaboration between IKEDC and local councils to address electricity infrastructure deficits, noting that local governments are willing to support interventions.
He, however, acknowledged improvements in electricity supply in some areas and commended the company’s ongoing infrastructure projects.
He urged the distribution company to ensure that transformer capacity and other distribution facilities were upgraded alongside new injection substations so that surrounding communities could benefit fully from improved power availability.
The forum brought together electricity regulators, distribution company representatives, consumer protection officials, community leaders and residents to discuss electricity-related grievances and strengthen accountability in service delivery.
