On August 22, 2023, the Nigerian Electric Regulatory Commission (NERC) issued a statement urging users to upgrade their prepaid meters in a process called the TID Rollover. NERC thereby mandated Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) to guide users through this process, including providing them with two free Key Change Tokens (KCTs) essential for meter updates.
Since the announcement, DisCos have been notifying users to adhere to the upgrade process. As warned, some users started encountering difficulties recharging from the beginning of November. Meanwhile, the existing software on prepaid meters across Nigeria was set to expire by November 24, 2024.
For Lagos residents, Ikeja Electric Distribution Company (IKEDC) or Ikeja Electric communicated via a tweet about the need to link meters with National Identification Number (NIN) before proceeding with the upgrade. Unfortunately, it appeared this information did not reach many people, resulting in long queues and crowds at IKEDC offices as users started finding it difficult to recharge. Additionally, customer support wait times increased from an average of two minutes to 10 minutes.
To avoid the queues, link your NIN with your prepaid meter from home through these steps:
Step 1: Visit the Smart KYC website and sign in with your email address to create a user profile on Ikeja Electric Smart KYC. You'll receive an email with your login details, including a default password.
Step 2: Return to the link and log in with the details in the email. Change your password when prompted.
Step 3: Proceed to the next page and click on the "Link Your NIN And Meter" option or go to this link.
Step 4: On the next page, if you're a tenant, DO NOT tick the "Are you the Landlord?" box. Fill in the "Meter user NIN" and "Current phone number" fields. It will automatically fill in the "Phone number registered on NIN" field. Click Next.
Step 5: It retrieves your NIN bio page. Fill in the "Current email address" field and click Next.
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Step 6: A summary page appears. Confirm that the information you've provided is correct. Click "Submit."
Step 7: In this final step, a pop-up box with two fields will show on your screen - requesting your meter number and a 6-digit number -- to complete the linking process. The number will be sent to both your email and the number you provided earlier. Fill the fields and submit and a confirmation message will appear on your screen.
Note: If you're a landlord, you're only allowed to link five meters with your NIN.
For the next steps on upgrading your meeting, follow this link to find out how to get your KCTs without visiting the Ikeja Electric office.
