The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) has warned electricity distribution companies (DisCos) against estimated billing, unlawful disconnections and violations of consumer protection regulations, threatening enforcement action against operators that fail to comply with regulatory directives.
The Executive Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the FCCPC, Tunji Bello, gave the warning during an electricity consumer complaints resolution town hall meeting in Ikorodu, Lagos, on Tuesday, October 27, 2026.
Bello said recurring complaints from customers within the franchise areas of Ikeja Electric and Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) indicated persistent gaps in billing accuracy, metering, customer service and compliance with disconnection and reconnection rules.
“Estimated billing must give way to accurate metering. Regulatory directives on billing, disconnection, and reconnection must be obeyed in letter and in spirit,” Bello said.
He added that the commission would intensify engagement with electricity distribution companies but would not hesitate to exercise its enforcement powers where operators failed to address consumer complaints.
“The commission will continue to engage, but where engagement fails, we will not hesitate to deploy the full weight of our enforcement powers. Compliance is far cheaper than consequences,” he stated.
The warning comes amid persistent consumer complaints over arbitrary electricity bills, delays in meter installation, disputed charges, disconnections without due process, delayed reconnections and poor service delivery.
According to Bello, the town hall meeting followed a formal request from residents of the Ikorodu West community seeking the commission’s intervention in resolving longstanding disputes with their electricity service provider.
He said the initiative was designed to provide consumers with information about their rights while facilitating the resolution of complaints directly with the distribution companies.
Bello noted that electricity consumers were entitled to fair treatment, accurate information, transparent billing and effective redress when service providers failed to meet their obligations.
“The Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act, 2018 charges the FCCPC with protecting and promoting the interests and welfare of consumers across every sector of the Nigerian economy, and electricity is no exception,” he said.
“Every Nigerian who pays for a service is entitled to fair treatment, accurate information, honest billing, and effective redress when things go wrong.”
The FCCPC chief executive acknowledged the regulatory responsibilities of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Lagos State Electricity Regulatory Commission (LASERC), adding that the commission’s intervention was intended to complement their work.
He said the effectiveness of consumer protection depended on coordination among regulatory agencies to ensure that complaints were resolved without being delayed by institutional boundaries.
Bello also urged the distribution companies to empower their representatives at the town hall’s resolution desks to make immediate decisions on disputed bills, billing corrections, meter installation schedules and the reconnection of customers who had been disconnected improperly.
“Today, we expect your teams at the resolution desks to be empowered to take decisions on the spot: to review bills, adjust where they are wrong, schedule meter installations, and reconnect where disconnection was improper,” he said.
The commission also called on electricity consumers to understand their rights, report violations and escalate unresolved complaints to the appropriate authorities.
However, Bello stressed that consumers also had responsibilities, including paying for electricity consumed, avoiding meter bypasses and illegal connections, and protecting electricity infrastructure against vandalism.
He directed FCCPC officers to handle complaints professionally, maintain proper documentation and follow each case through to resolution.
“Speedy resolution is not merely a performance indicator; it is a promise we make to every Nigerian who trusts us with their complaint,” he added.
The FCCPC’s warning underscores the commission’s push to strengthen consumer protection in Nigeria’s electricity market, where billing disputes, metering challenges and disagreements over disconnections remain important concerns for households and businesses.