Ikeja Electric Starts Refunding MAP Meter Payments Through Electricity Units
By Aboki Forex —
Ikeja Electric Plc has begun refunding customers who bought meters under the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) framework, but the money will not come back as cash. The company is applying the refunds as credits to customers' vending transactions over an approved refund period.
The disclosure was made during the company's virtual stakeholder engagement, where the DisCo also issued fresh safety warnings to residents.
How The Refund Works
Under the arrangement, households and businesses recoup their meter investments gradually, each time they buy electricity tokens. The credit is tied to vending transactions rather than paid out in a lump sum.
To keep the process open, Ikeja Electric has launched an online tracking dashboard. Customers can check their refund progress by entering their meter or account numbers.
The portal displays the initial meter cost, the number of processed refunds, monthly refund amounts, total refunds received, and the date of the last transaction, according to a BusinessDay report.
Refund tokens are also sent directly to registered phone numbers and email addresses, so customers get transaction updates without chasing the company.
Safety Warnings At The Town Hall
Beyond the refunds, the town hall meeting focused heavily on public safety. Officials warned against hiring unqualified persons to handle electrical infrastructure.
Recent tragic incidents involving unauthorised individuals climbing utility poles or tampering with power lines were cited as proof of the danger of illegal connections.
Olaniyi Olayiwola, Head of Quality, Health, Safety and Environment, urged communities to protect themselves and their neighbours. He advised residents to report suspicious activity near power lines instead of attempting direct intervention.
The company also stressed the need to keep adequate clearance around high-voltage lines to prevent hazardous encroachments.
Kingsley Okotie, Head of Corporate Communications, reinforced the message, asking customers to rely only on official communication channels for inquiries, complaints, and updates.
What It Means For Customers
For many Ikeja Electric customers, the refund is a recovery of money already spent on metering under MAP, even though it arrives in units rather than cash. That means the benefit shows up only when a customer keeps buying tokens.
The tracking dashboard gives consumers a way to confirm what they are owed and what has been paid, which reduces disputes at business units.
The safety angle matters for businesses too. Illegal connections and tampering damage equipment, cause outages, and raise the risk of fatalities.
Ikeja Electric had earlier introduced a buy-now-pay-later electricity scheme that allows eligible customers to receive up to N20,000 worth of electricity units on credit before settling the cost later. The company announced the offering, called Energy Advance, through an official notice to customers, describing it as a way to prevent unexpected power interruptions when units run out at difficult moments.