Nigeria: NERC Tasks Interim Board To Reset Kaduna Power Distributor In One Year

Nigeria’s electricity regulator has tasked the newly constituted interim board of Kaduna Electricity Distribution Plc (KAEDC) with resetting the company and returning it to a sustainable growth path within 12 months.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) Chairman Musiliu Oseni gave the directive on Monday, Aug. 17, during a meeting with members of the interim board and the company’s interim administrator.

Oseni said the commission had carried out a similar intervention in 2024 that led to a significant improvement in KAEDC’s performance before its former investors resumed control.

“We expect a lot from you, and the Administrator will bring you up to speed to ensure that you meet the target within one year. Most importantly, we want to begin to see progress immediately,” Oseni said.

He identified KAEDC’s high aggregate technical, commercial and collection (ATC&C) losses and significant metering deficit as areas requiring urgent attention.

The Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Ayo Gbeleyi, highlighted various metering programmes available to KAEDC and urged the company to leverage them to reduce its metering gap across its franchise area.

NERC Commissioner for Legal, Licensing and Compliance Dafe Akpeneye said members of the interim board had been selected based on their professional expertise and relevant skills.

The board’s chairman, Abdullahi Garba, pledged to work with NERC and BPE to address outstanding issues, improve KAEDC’s operational and financial performance and ultimately make the company viable and saleable.

The board is also expected to demonstrate measurable improvements in KAEDC’s performance, ensure prudent use of funds and deploy its expertise to restore the company’s market performance.

NERC, through Order No. NERC/2026/08, dissolved KAEDC’s board of directors following repeated failures to meet market obligations and other prescribed performance indicators.

The commission subsequently appointed a five-member interim board of special directors, chaired by Garba, for an initial one-year period. It also appointed Abubakar Umar Hashidu as interim administrator for an initial six months to oversee the company’s operations and support the reset.

KAEDC distributes electricity across parts of northern Nigeria and is one of the country’s 11 electricity distribution companies.