Regulator moves against KAEDC after repeated breaches of market obligations and performance requirements….
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission has replaced the leadership of Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, installing an interim board to steer the company through a period of restructuring and operational recovery.
The new leadership was inaugurated on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, following regulatory action by NERC over what the commission described as the distribution company’s repeated failure to meet its market obligations and prescribed performance targets.
Under Order No. NERC/2026/08, the commission dissolved the former Board of Directors of Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, popularly known as KAEDC, and established a five-member Interim Board of Special Directors.
The new board is headed by Abdullahi Garba and has been given an initial one-year tenure.
NERC also appointed Abubakar Umar Hashidu as the company’s Interim Administrator for an initial period of six months.
The intervention gives the new leadership a broad responsibility to address the challenges affecting the electricity distributor while working towards improved service delivery and regulatory compliance.
According to the commission, the interim management is expected to lead the restructuring of KAEDC, strengthen its performance and ensure that the company complies with applicable obligations within Nigeria’s electricity market.
The development comes as electricity distribution companies continue to face pressure over service delivery, financial performance and compliance with regulatory requirements.
Following the inauguration, officials of NERC, members of the interim board and representatives of KAEDC management and staff began engagements with key stakeholders in Kaduna.
The delegation first visited the headquarters of the Nigerian Army’s One Division in Kaduna, where it was received by the General Officer Commanding and other senior officers.
The team subsequently proceeded to the Nigerian Defence Academy, Kaduna, for another stakeholder engagement with the Commandant and principal officers of the institution.
The visits marked some of the first engagements by the new KAEDC leadership as the company begins operating under the interim arrangement.
With the board given a one-year mandate and the Interim Administrator appointed for six months, attention will now turn to whether the regulatory intervention can translate into stronger operational performance, improved compliance and better electricity services for customers within KAEDC’s franchise area.
