Ikeja Electric Clears Air on Customer ID Requirement

A recent notice issued in relation to the Nigeria Tax Act 2025 has prompted Ikeja Electric Plc to clarify that the directive concerns only its corporate clients, vendors and strategic partners, not the general customer base.

The electricity distribution company made the clarification in a public statement on Thursday, explaining that the request for updated identification details forms part of efforts to comply with new tax regulations and reinforce its internal risk management processes.

Earlier reports had indicated that electricity bills without valid identification information could be deemed non-compliant under the 2025 tax law. Acceptable identification was said to include a Tax Identification Number (TIN), Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) registration number or National Identification Number (NIN), with suggestions that failure to provide such details might disrupt billing and service continuity.

However, Ikeja Electric emphasised that the data verification exercise is specifically targeted at corporate and commercial stakeholders, distancing the requirement from its broader residential customer base.

The Nigeria Tax Act (2025) came into effect on January 1, requiring all invoices, including utility bills, to carry valid customer identification details such as a Tax Identification Number, Corporate Affairs Commission registration number or National Identification Number. Under the new law, bills without these details are considered invalid.

Ikeja Electric said its data update initiative supports compliance and its Know Your Customer and Know Your Business Customer processes, which help verify and manage corporate client information for regulatory and risk purposes.

In the public notice, the company stated: “The notice applies strictly to corporate customers (B2B), as well as our vendors and strategic business partners.

“This initiative is driven by compliance requirements under the Nigeria Tax Act (NTA) 2025 and related regulations, and also supports our internal KYC/KYCB risk management processes.

“Under the NTA 2025, supplier invoices (including those issued by Ikeja Electric) are required to carry prescribed details, including Ikeja Electric’s Tax ID and CAC Registration Number.”

It also explained that the Nigeria Revenue Service implementation framework requires supplier invoices to be uploaded and validated on the NRS portal, where a corporate customer’s Tax ID is a mandatory field for processing and verification.

“In addition, the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS) implementation framework requires that invoices be uploaded and validated on the NRS portal. Where such validated invoices are transmitted to corporate customers through the portal, the customer’s Tax ID becomes a mandatory field for processing and verification,” it said.

Ikeja Electric assured affected clients of a smooth transition and no disruption to power supply, adding, “We assure all affected customers that the data update and validation process will be seamless, and there will be no disruption to service.”

The company reiterated that the requirement applies only to corporate customers and urged them to submit the required information through the link provided in the notice.