Customers Verify Viral AEDC Refund Claims After Redeeming Electricity Tokens
Dr. Nafisat Makinɗe, Abuja
Customers of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) have begun successfully redeeming electricity refund tokens through the utility’s Meter Asset Provider (MAP) refund programme, following a viral online message that prompted widespread skepticism among consumers.
The message, which spread rapidly through WhatsApp groups and other social media platforms, urged customers who purchased prepaid meters to check their eligibility on AEDC’s official Meter Asset Provider (MAP) Refund Portal. Many initially dismissed it as another online scam or misleading promotion. To verify the claim, DailyMetro interviewed five AEDC customers in Abuja’s Central Area, Lugbe and Mararaba, Nasarawa State, and reviewed customer records generated through the official portal.
All five customers told DailyMetro they entered their meter numbers on the portal, received electricity refund tokens, loaded the tokens into their prepaid meters and successfully activated the credits. Two of the beneficiaries also presented portal records, refund histories and token details, which were independently reviewed to corroborate their accounts.
“I didn’t believe it at first,” said Amos Atema, one of the beneficiaries interviewed for this report. “Someone sent me the link, so I entered my meter number. The portal generated electricity tokens, I loaded them into my meter and they worked.”
Records reviewed during the reporting showed that the refunds are not paid as one-time cash reimbursements but are credited gradually as electricity units. One customer who purchased a prepaid meter for ₦63,061.32 had received electricity credits worth ₦7,619.91, leaving an outstanding refund balance of ₦55,441.41. Another customer whose meter cost ₦105,565 had received ₦10,556.44 in electricity credits, with ₦95,008.56 still outstanding. The portal also displayed monthly refund histories, electricity token references and outstanding balances, indicating that reimbursements are being processed in phases.
According to information published by AEDC, the refund programme is part of the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) Scheme, which allows eligible customers who paid for prepaid meters to recover the cost through electricity credits. The company says approved reimbursements are converted into electricity units and credited directly to customers’ prepaid meters, while the portal enables beneficiaries to monitor the amount already refunded, the outstanding balance and their refund history. The programme is based on a regulatory framework introduced by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission to expand access to prepaid meters and reimburse customers who financed the purchase of their own meters.
DailyMetro could not independently determine how many AEDC customers have so far benefited from the programme or the total value of electricity credits already issued. Requests for comments were sent to AEDC seeking information on the number of beneficiaries, the pace of implementation and the timeline for completing outstanding reimbursements. The company had not responded as of the time this report was published.