General
COVID-19: Ikeja Electric Assures Customers Continuous Power Supply
**Closes Offices Partially to Safeguard Customers, Staff
The management of Ikeja Electric Plc has reassured customers under its coverage area that services including supply of electricity to customers, fault clearing, online channels for purchase of energy credits and payment of bills would not be affected by the lockdown in Lagos State.
On Tuesday, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said from Thursday, only food markets and medicine stores would be allowed to open in the city as part of effort to stop the spread of the deadly coronavirus disease also known as COVID-19.
Ikeja Electric, in a statement yesterday, stated that no physical transaction of business will take place across its offices in its franchise network for the next one week.
It explained that this partial closure was in line with ongoing efforts nationwide to prevent further spread of the virus and protect customers and staff of the company.
According to the Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ikeja Electric, Mrs Folake Soetan, the safety and health of employees and members of the public is a priority to the organisation. Therefore, necessary preventive measures have be taken to avoid possible contact and spread of the virus.
“In line with our Customer First, Technology Now policy, all staff carrying out essential services will continue to deliver services in line with globally accepted safety and health requirements while staff carrying out non-essential services will hereby rely on our remote working channels throughout this period.
“As a responsible organisation, we hold our customers and staff in high esteem. So, their wellbeing and safety must be prioritized under the circumstance confronting our country and the entire world. The ongoing efforts to control the further spread of the COVID-19 virus is in line with efforts of governments globally to contain the virus,” she said.
“At this point, we all need to carefully observe precautionary measures and other safety protocols stipulated by government agencies and health organisations that will protect ourselves and loved ones from the virus. These involve, but not limited to, observing high hygiene by washing our hands often, using sanitizers where soap and water are not available, ensuring social distancing, avoiding handshakes and gatherings, as well as promptly contacting government agencies in the event of close persons displaying symptoms of the virus.
“Earlier in the month, we had set up specific control measures across our offices to ensure customers and staff are protected from possible exposure to the virus by providing sanitizers at the entrances and using hand-held infra-red thermometers to screen customers/visitors and staff.
“We are keenly following developments across the country and the advice of our government and health institutions as part of concerted efforts to safeguard everyone and to make sure our workplaces remain safe,” Mrs Soetan added.
However, the energy firm said its services will not be affected by the temporary closure, stressing that customers can continue to make enquiries or complaints to its Customers Care Team via email, live chat or phone calls.
The electricity distribution company noted that throughout this period, customer experience will not be impacted as it continues to deploy technology to provide seamless services and improved customer experience.
It said customers can access their bills using the IE ebilling service, which is available via eservices.ikejaelectric.com or and the IE Mobile app, which can be downloaded on the Android Playstore. By the adoption of this technology, the company has greatly reduced interaction between customers and employees as far as bill distribution and collection matter
The firm also stated that customers can make use of all available online channels to get their required services including making enquiries or complaints, payments of bills or recharge of prepaid meters and escalation of faults.
“For complaints or enquiries, customers are advised to contact the Customer Care vi*************@***********ic.com or 01-7000250, 09087940825. Other transactions can be done via quick teller, internet banking, mobile App banking, USSD *565*6# and Ikeja Electric website: www.ikejaelectric.com,” the statement said.
The DisCo disclosed that technical operations such as fault clearing will continue; hence all the field staff must continue to ensure that they are completely kitted for their daily operations.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said spread of the coronavirus is believed to be mainly through person-to-person contact which enables respiratory droplets from infected individuals who exhibit or later show symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, breathing difficulty, fever etc. to be transmitted to other persons.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has explained why it initiated a move to freeze the bank account of the Osun State government.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Governor of Osun State, Mr Ademola Adeleke, claimed that the anti-money laundering agency asked one of its bankers, First Bank, not to release funds to the state government.
According to the Governor, this was part of the strategies to frustrate his administration ahead of the August 15, 2026, governorship election in the state.
Reacting to the issue on Wednesday night, the EFCC, in a statement, said it has been investigating the state government since March 2026 over an alleged “fraudulent handling of Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds and Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) account to the tune of N11.0 billion.
The organisation noted that some officials of the state government, especially the Accountant General of the State, have had interview sessions with investigators of the EFCC.
“These ongoing investigations of the state government would not have warranted any placement of Post No Debit order on its account but for the precipitate and unwarranted movement of funds from the accounts to different suspicious accounts since August 2, 2026.
“The commission noticed huge transfers of funds into different corporate entities and had to swiftly halt the trend by freezing the accounts from which such heavy funds are being moved,” parts of the statement said.
In the disclosure, the agency noted that its preventive mandate is a public-inclined framework of safeguarding public funds, assets and resources, stressing that it cannot “watch idly while a state government’s account is being pillaged.”
“While the commission is fully aware of the impending governorship election in Osun State, it has a responsibility to act in defence of the sanctity of the funds of the state. It will be uncharitable for the commission to allow an excuse of an upcoming election to fold its arms to perform its legally-assigned functions,” it pointed out.
The EFCC disclosed that it is “keeping watch over the finances of other states like Osun State. Many of these states are on the investigative radar of the commission to ensure accountability and probity. The commission has always pointed out that it is non-partisan and non-sectarian but always working in the overall interests of Nigerians. The Osun State government account was frozen to save public funds from being looted.”
The organisation urged the public “to ignore false narratives and deliberate demonisation of the works of the EFCC. The interests of all Nigerians are greater and will always be protected by the commission.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) has launched a mobile application designed to monitor fuel consumption patterns in real time across retail outlets nationwide.
The NMDPRA, established under the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, is responsible for the technical and commercial regulation of Nigeria’s midstream and downstream petroleum operations. The deployment of the mobile application aligns with the authority’s broader efforts to leverage technology to improve regulatory compliance and strengthen accountability.
The pilot phase of the project began on August 1 in Abuja and its six Area Councils, the authority said in a statement published on X.
As part of the rollout, the Executive Director for Distribution Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure (DSSRI), Mr Ogbugo Ukoha, led a team alongside officials from the Abuja Regional Office to assess the readiness and operational performance of the digital platform at participating retail outlets.
According to the NMDPRA, the application captures inventory and compliance data in real time, enabling regulators to monitor fuel distribution more effectively while improving operational efficiency across the sector.
The authority said the platform would generate reliable, data-driven insights to support evidence-based decision-making, strengthen national energy security planning and enhance transparency in the downstream petroleum industry.
It added that the initiative is expected to provide significant value to government, investors, operators and other stakeholders by improving access to accurate fuel consumption and compliance data.
Nigeria’s downstream petroleum sector has undergone significant changes since the deregulation of the petrol market and the removal of fuel subsidies, with regulators placing greater emphasis on data-driven supervision to ensure product availability, prevent supply disruptions and discourage sharp regional disparities in distribution.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
No doubt, moving money among African markets remains a slow, fragmented process that relies on multiple intermediaries and prolonged settlement cycles.
To solve this issue and drive the development of stablecoin-enabled payment services for businesses across the continent, Onafriq has joined forces with a leading stablecoin infrastructure provider, Privy.
The collaboration will enable Onafriq to create and manage embedded digital asset solutions for its partners and, in time, institutional clients where regulation allows. The initial phase focuses on cross-chain stablecoin transfers and treasury and settlement workflows, creating the foundation for future cross-border payment and liquidity solutions.
Integrating Privy’s secure infrastructure enables Onafriq to build the capabilities required to support a new generation of efficient digital payment services for banks, fintechs, and mobile money operators.
This partnership is a key component of Onafriq’s broader strategy to modernise pan-African payment infrastructure, enabling secure multi-modal wallets and more efficient movement of value across the continent.
The outcome will support a range of future institutional use cases, including stablecoin-enabled settlement, treasury management and liquidity services, as it reflects Onafriq’s commitment to driving Africa’s digital transformation agenda by investing in technologies that make financial services more efficient, connected and accessible.
It was gathered that Onafriq selected Privy for its enterprise-grade infrastructure to enable the seamless integration of digital asset wallet capabilities into its products, subject to regulatory approval, and deliver a simple user experience while abstracting the complexity of blockchain technology.
“At Onafriq, we keep investing in technology that makes payments faster and more accessible. Privy gives us a building block for faster settlement and better liquidity management. As demand for digital asset services grows, our goal is to ensure Africa’s payment ecosystem benefits securely and in line with regulatory frameworks,” the Group Chief Product and Innovation Officer at Onafriq,” Mr Luke Kyohere, said.
The chief executive of Privy, Mr Henri Stern, said, “Stablecoins will play an increasingly important role in the future of global payments, but real-world adoption depends on infrastructure that is secure, scalable and simple to implement. Working with Onafriq allows us to help build that foundation across Africa and beyond.”
