How to Buy and Load Ikeja Electric (IKEDC) Prepaid Tokens Online

Enter your meter number, check the name that comes back, pay from your naira balance and the 20-digit token shows on your screen. The whole purchase takes about a minute from your phone.

Type the token into your meter’s keypad and the units load. Most of the time it’s that simple, but a wrong meter number or a rejected token can leave you in the dark if you don’t know what to do.

This guide covers the steps on Snapiro, loading the token on your meter, what to do when a token doesn’t come or is rejected, and a few Ikeja Electric (IKEDC) changes worth knowing about.

Is your meter on Ikeja Electric or Eko?

Lagos has two distribution companies, and buying from the wrong one is a common mistake. Ikeja Electric covers the northern parts of Lagos, including Ikeja, Ikorodu, Oshodi and Abule Egba. Eko Electricity covers the south, such as Lekki, Victoria Island, Ikoyi and Lagos Island.

Boundaries don’t always follow area names, so the safest check is an old token receipt or a bill for that meter, which shows the company’s name. Snapiro also checks your meter number with the provider before you pay, and shows the customer name and address on the meter. If the number doesn’t validate under Ikeja Electric, try Eko.

What you need

Your meter number. It’s printed on the meter and on any past token receipt. For a postpaid account, use the account number on your bill.
The Snapiro app and a transaction PIN. You don’t need to verify your BVN to pay bills (up to ₦20,000 a day).
Naira in your balance. Add money from ₦500 with no Snapiro fee, or sell crypto and spend the naira. If that’s new to you, start with selling USDT for naira, and Lagos sellers can see more on selling crypto in Lagos.

How to buy an Ikeja Electric token on Snapiro

On the home screen, tap Power.
Under Provider, choose Ikeja Electric.
Under Meter type, pick Prepaid (or Postpaid if you get a monthly bill).
Enter the meter number, or tap Saved to pick one you saved before.
Check the name and address that come back. If they aren’t the ones on your meter, stop.
Enter the amount, tap Pay and enter your PIN.

The Electricity token screen opens with your token, the units in kWh, the meter number, the name on the meter and the provider reference. The token is also sent to your email and as a push notification, and you can tap Share to send the receipt as an image or PDF. The electricity help article has screenshots.

Buying for more than one place? Save each meter with a name such as Home, Shop or Mum’s house, and you won’t type the number again.

How to load the token on your meter

Go to the meter’s keypad. If your meter is mounted outside or on a pole, you’ll usually have a small keypad unit inside the house instead.
Type all 20 digits slowly, reading them in blocks of four.
Press Enter. The key’s label and colour differ from one meter brand to another.
Wait for the screen to show the token was accepted, then check that the credit has gone up.

If you make a typing mistake halfway, clear the screen with the backspace or cancel key and start again rather than trying to fix one digit.

How many units will your money buy?

That depends on your tariff band, which is set by the feeder that supplies your street. Band A feeders are meant to give at least 20 hours of power a day and pay the highest rate per kWh; Bands B to E promise fewer hours (16, 12, 8 and 4) and cost less per unit. Tariffs change, so the units on your receipt are the number to trust, not a figure from last year. If you don’t know your band, ask Ikeja Electric through the contacts on its website.

Keep your receipts and you can see if your supply matches what your band promises. That matters: in June 2026 the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) ordered compensation, paid as token credits for prepaid customers, to eligible Band A customers whose feeders fell short in February and March 2026.

No token, or the meter rejects it

Most tokens come through in seconds. When one doesn’t, check the “Electricity Token Ready” notification, your email (including spam) and Activity in the app.

Pending: Ikeja Electric is still generating it. Give it 15 to 30 minutes, and don’t buy again for the same meter, or you may pay twice.
Failed: no token was made and the money is returned to your naira wallet automatically.
Completed but no token visible: message support from the Support tab with the Snapiro reference from the receipt.

If the meter says Reject, check the digits and confirm the receipt shows your meter number. Some meters needed key change tokens (KCT) after the 2024 update to prepaid meters worldwide (the TID rollover); those come from Ikeja Electric itself, not from any vendor. Full steps are in I paid for electricity but did not get a token.

Ikeja Electric changes worth knowing

In December 2024 NERC ordered that oversight of the Lagos power market pass to the Lagos State Electricity Regulatory Commission (LASERC), as the Electricity Act 2023 allows. In October 2025 LASERC licensed IE Energy Lagos Limited, a company set up under Ikeja Electric, to run distribution in the state. Reports at the time described it as a subsidiary arrangement, with the same management and staff.

For buying tokens, nothing changes: you still choose Ikeja Electric and use the same meter number. If you see the IE Energy Lagos name on a notice or letter, that’s why.