NERC names 5-member interim board to fix troubled Kaduna DisCo

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) recently established a five-member interim board for the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KAEDC), following the dissolution of the company's board due to financial and operational issues. The interim board was inaugurated on August 19, 2026, as part of NERC's regulatory intervention aimed at improving KAEDC's performance.

The inauguration followed NERC's August 10 intervention order, which dissolved the previous board after the DisCo repeatedly failed to meet market obligations and other performance indicators. NERC appointed an Interim Administrator, Abubakar Umar Hashidu, to oversee the company's operations during the intervention period. The five-member Interim Board of Special Directors, led by Dr. Abdullahi Garba, is set to serve for an initial one-year period.

Following the inauguration, NERC members, along with KAEDC management and staff, visited the Nigerian Army's One Division Headquarters and the Nigerian Defence Academy in Kaduna. NERC's intervention began on August 10, 2026, after dissolving KAEDC's board due to severe financial insolvency, prolonged market defaults, and weak operational performance.

The regulator cited high technical, commercial, and collection losses, as well as inadequate investment and low metering coverage, as major concerns. The intervention comes two years after NERC approved a 60% equity stake acquisition in Kaduna Electricity Company Plc by ASI Engineering Limited, which was expected to bring operational control in June 2024.

However, Kaduna DisCo recorded the lowest collection efficiency among distribution companies at 45.81% during the quarter, highlighting the commercial challenges facing the utility before NERC's intervention.