NERC gives KAEDC interim board 12 month target
By Firdaus Jibril
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has given the newly constituted Interim Board of Special Directors of Kaduna Electricity Distribution Plc (KAEDC) a 12-month mandate to reset the company and return it to a sustainable growth path.
NERC Chairman, Dr Musiliu Oseni, gave the charge on Monday while addressing members of the interim board and the company’s Interim Administrator, Abubakar Umar Hashidu.
Oseni identified KAEDC’s high Aggregate Technical, Commercial and Collection (ATC&C) losses and significant metering deficit as critical areas requiring immediate intervention.
He said the Commission expected the new board to deliver measurable progress within one year, adding that improvements should begin immediately.
According to Oseni, NERC had undertaken a similar intervention in KAEDC in 2024, which resulted in significant improvement in the performance of the distribution company before the 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,” he said.
The Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Ayo Gbeleyi, urged the KAEDC management to take advantage of available metering programmes to close the metering gap across its franchise area.
He said the programmes could support efforts to improve the company’s operations and strengthen its ability to meet its performance obligations.
NERC Commissioner for Legal, Licensing and Compliance, Dafe Akpeneye, said the members of the Special Board were selected based on their professional expertise and relevant skills.
The Chairman of the interim board, Dr Abdullahi Garba, pledged that the board would work with NERC and BPE to address outstanding issues affecting the company.
He said the board’s objective was to strengthen KAEDC’s operational and financial performance and ultimately make the distribution company viable and saleable.
The board is also expected to demonstrate measurable improvements in the company’s performance, ensure prudent and effective use of funds, and deploy its professional expertise towards restoring KAEDC’s market performance.
NERC said the intervention followed its Order No. NERC/2026/08, through which the Commission dissolved the previous Board of Directors of KAEDC over repeated failures to meet market obligations and prescribed performance indicators.
The Commission subsequently appointed a five-member Interim Board of Special Directors, chaired by Garba, for an initial period of one year.
An Interim Administrator, Abubakar Umar Hashidu, was also appointed for an initial six-month period to oversee the company’s operations and drive the reset.
The intervention places KAEDC under renewed regulatory oversight, with the board expected to deliver measurable improvements in losses, metering, operational efficiency and financial performance within the one-year mandate.