Ikeja Electric ties power supply to tax IDs for businesses

שלום,

Victoria from Techpoint here,

Here’s what I’ve got for you today:

Ikeja Electric ties power supply to tax IDs
The AI remix that fooled the world
Starlink users in Kenya face ID deadline

Ikeja Electric ties power supply to tax IDs

If you’re a business customer (B2B), vendor, or strategic partner under Ikeja Electric and thought estimated billing was your biggest headache, there’s now a new deadline to worry about.

Nigeria’s largest electricity distribution company has given customers seven days to submit either their Tax Identification Number (TIN), National Identification Number (NIN), or CAC registration details or risk being disconnected. In a public notice issued Wednesday, Ikeja Electric said that under the new Nigeria Tax Act (2025), bills issued without at least one of these identification numbers are now considered invalid. Customers who fail to comply by February 20 could see their power supply suspended.

The company says its hands are tied. The Tax Act, which took effect on January 1, 2026, requires all invoices to carry verified customer identification information. For discos like Ikeja Electric, that means updating billing systems to capture tax IDs, national IDs, or corporate registration numbers. Without those details, the company argues it legally cannot generate valid bills, and without a valid bill, service can’t continue under the new rules.

The bigger picture? This is about tax compliance. By linking electricity consumption to verified identities, authorities can better track economic activity and potentially flag businesses whose utility usage doesn’t match declared income. It’s part of broader fiscal reforms aimed at tightening Nigeria’s tax net.

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So far, other distribution companies haven’t made similar announcements publicly, leaving open questions about whether Ikeja Electric is simply first to move or is taking a stricter interpretation of the law. Either way, the February 20 deadline is approaching. If the policy sticks, it could signal a new era where keeping the lights on in Nigeria also means staying firmly within the tax system.

The company has shared a link where you can upload your details online or you can reach out to customer support — via @ieServe on X, their WhatsApp chatbot, or their customer care lines — for help. If you’re not sure how to fill the form, just check Ikeja Electric’s website, visit a service centre, or send them a message/call, and they’ll point you in the right direction.

Victoria Fakiya – Senior Writer

Techpoint Digest

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The AI remix that fooled the world

The Afro soul remix of Papaoutai was everywhere in January. It floated through TikTok timelines, Instagram reels, and Spotify playlists like a rediscovered classic. By mid-January 2026, it had debuted at #168 on the Global Spotify chart, the highest new entry at the time, and eventually climbed to #2 on Billboard’s World Digital Song Sales chart. It sounded raw, emotional, almost ancestral. But there was one twist: Stromae didn’t record it.

What most listeners didn’t realise was that the viral version was AI-generated. The voice wasn’t a slowed-down sample of Stromae’s 2013 hit. Instead, producers used Retrieval-based Voice Conversion — an AI voice cloning technique — trained on Congolese-born singer Arsène Mukendi’s vocals. Mukendi, known for appearing on The Voice France, even featured in cinematic lip-sync videos that made the remix feel authentic enough to convince millions he’d recorded a studio cover.

And this isn’t a one-off. In 2025, an AI-generated choir remix of Nigerian artiste Fave’s Intentions went viral on TikTok. Instead of issuing takedowns, Fave leaned in; she re-recorded vocals over the AI arrangement and released it officially. That move showed how artistes can reclaim revenue from AI derivatives. But it also highlighted how messy things can get, especially when AI remixes rely heavily on copyrighted lyrics, melodies, and compositions.

Technically, most of these remixes use tools like Suno or Udio, generative AI models trained on massive music datasets. Some use stem separation to isolate vocals and rebuild the beat in a new genre. Others “skin” an existing vocal with a cloned voice model. The result can feel original, but legally it’s closer to sampling than creating from scratch. As Melody Nehemiah of Songdis explains, without the original song — its lyrics, composition, and message — there’s nothing to remix. That raises big questions about ownership, royalties, and consent.

The bigger issue now isn’t whether AI remixes will keep coming; they will. It’s who owns them, who profits, and whether African artistes are protected as this technology spreads. In Papaoutai’s case, it’s still unclear whether Stromae approved the AI version. And that uncertainty could shape the next phase of music innovation on the continent. For more on how AI is reshaping Africa’s creative industries, check out Delight’s latest on Techpoint Africa.

Starlink users in Kenya face ID deadline

Starlink’s promise has always felt a little different — Internet from the sky, beyond cables and local telcos. But in Kenya, that sense of distance just narrowed.

The satellite Internet provider has told customers they must complete in-person identity verification by April 30, 2026, or risk having their service interrupted. In a notice to users, Starlink said the move follows directives from local authorities. Customers are required to visit an authorised retailer with a valid government-issued ID and their Starlink account details. No need to carry the dish, just a phone with the Starlink app installed.

On the surface, this is about compliance. Kenya already enforces strict Know Your Customer (KYC) rules for SIM cards and telecom services under the Communications Authority. Starlink, despite operating via satellites, still falls within that regulatory framework. This requirement essentially brings it in line with the same identity verification standards traditional ISPs and mobile operators must follow.

But the bigger conversation is about control. Starlink has often been viewed as a decentralised alternative to terrestrial fibre and mobile networks, infrastructure that governments can more easily regulate or restrict. By tying accounts to verified physical identities inside Kenya, authorities potentially gain clearer oversight over who is connected and where. That may simply be regulatory housekeeping, but it also raises questions about privacy and digital rights.

Kenya hasn’t imposed a nationwide Internet shutdown in recent years, though concerns about digital restrictions tend to surface during politically tense periods. In other African countries, shutdowns have been enforced through telecom operators that control national backbones. Some had seen Starlink as a resilience layer against such disruptions. Whether this verification process changes that perception remains to be seen. For now, users have until the end of April to comply or risk going offline.

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Have a love-filled weekend!

Victoria Fakiya for Techpoint Africa