The apology notice was signed by Abdulazeez Abdullahi, head of Corporate Communication, and share through the official LinkedIn page of the Kaduna Electric.

The affected areas includes Feeder 11kv, Luggard Hall, located at Abakpa, supplying  Alkali road, Yakubu avenue, Whaff road and Independence way respectively. The feeder was out for 3 hours due to tripping and 2 hours due to broken HT poles.Kaduna Electric claimed to have to supplied power in the said area for 19 hours.

The Feeder 33kv Airport road Mando, supplying Airport Kaduna, Eye Center Kaduna, NDA kaduna new annex and Mando road. The feeders in this area were out for six hours due to a broken cross am. Power was supplied hour was 18 hours.

Feeder 11kv commercial Zam at the Power house, supplying Nta Gusau along Samaru, was out for five hours due to high voltage on 33KVTB2 transformer at Gusau transmission station. It was claimed that power was supplied in the area for 18hours.

At the 11kv government house Zam, power house, supplying Yankuka, Yariman Bakura hospital, water board & government house Gusau.

The feeder tripped for five hours due to fallen tree branches. The said place enjoyed 19 hours power supply.

The Kaduna Electric, thus express its commitment to supplying the expected hours.

Earlier in the year, Kaduna Electric completed credit adjustment to 49,000 overbilled customers under the estimated billing system from January to September 2023.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), in February 2024, noted that the eleven electricity distribution companies (DisCos) billed unmetered customers over N105 billion from January to September 2023.

Findings revealed that Yola DisCos, Port Harcourt DisCos, Kaduna DisCos, Abuja DisCos, Eko DisCos and Jos DisCos overbilled unmetered customers a total of N541.8 million, N14.187 billion, N1.145 billion N17.874 billion, N13.137 billion and N13.3 billion respectively.

Expressing their thoughts in a shift reaction towards the Salary increase, two LinkedIn users, Etedjere David Senior Commercial Expert, said “This is highly commendable,  well-done to the great leadership team. While  Yekini Tunde, a  Project Manager,  said, this is a good initiative.

Kaduna Electric officially announced a 10% increase in salaries across all staff categories, effective this month, DR. Umar Hashidu, the Chief Executive Officer, made this announcement during a recent meeting with the management team.

According to Umar, the salary adjustment comes as a strategic response to the imperative of motivating the staff, aimed at elevating the company’s overall performance despite the considerable challenges its currency faces. Dr. Hashidu underscored that the decision also addresses the prevalent cost of living crisis in the country.

The Kaduna Electric boss noted that the increase in salary of staff across all levels becomes necessary in the light of the current and prevailing economic challenges, and would spur the staff into doing more for the organization.

He said, the Board and Management’s conviction that this salary increase serves as a catalyst, inspiring staff to redouble their efforts to navigate the company through its current challenges.  Reiterating the Board’s unwavering commitment to prioritizing staff welfare as highlighted by the Board’s Chairperson, MS Rahila Thomas, when she led other Board members on a visit to the Company recently. He hinted that this initial adjustment is part of a broader initiative.

Dr. Hashidu acknowledged the precarious state of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI), describing it as being on life support, notably, Kaduna Electric faces challenges in meeting market obligations and has shown a lack-luster performance in compliance with NERC performance indices.

Despite these challenges, Dr. Hashidu expressed confidence that the issues confronting Kaduna Electric are surmountable with collective effort. He urged all staff members to approach their duties with diligence, citing the positive growth trajectory observed in energy sales during January as a promising indicator. Dr. Hashidu encouraged staff to maintain this momentum until the company achieves a positive turnaround.

Expressing a divergent view about the said increase, Ayodeji Obisanya, the Chairman  National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE)  said, “How much is a 10% increase in the current economic situation? Let’s say you earn N90,000 in a month, the 10% increase is 9000 can that buy a quarter of rice?   he queried.

Recall that last month, TechEconomy reported that Kaduna Electric started the process of N110bn Debt Recovery on February 1st,  2024.

Nigeria, has 11 power distribution companies, but some are struggling to remain profitable because of lack of capital and sub-economic tariffs imposed by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

Kaduna Electricity Distribution Plc (Kaduna Electric) is one of successor companies created following the privatization of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) in 2013 and sells electricity in four northern states.

Techeconomy’s correspondent monitored a statement shared on Kaduna Electric’s LinkedIn page.

The DisCo charges customers,  who have accrue electricity bill to pay the bill,  as re-connection  of electricity attract specific fee charges in addition to the clients’ outstanding payment.

The message reads: “Dear esteem customers, Kaduna Electric informed its customers that it will begin  its debt recovery exercise from the 1st of February 2024. All customers who have accrue their electricity bills are advise to come forward to settle them to avoid disconnection. Customers, should  kindly know that re-connection of electricity after disconnection attracts a re-connection fees in addition to  resettlement of their outstanding payment”.

Recall that, the  Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has put up for sale the sixth largest power distribution utility over a N110billin ($130 million debt), less than two years after the lenders who took over the company failed to turn it around and make it profitable.

Nigeria, has 11 power distribution companies,  but it is struggling to remain profitable because of lack of capital and sub-economic tariffs imposed by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

Kaduna Electricity Distribution Plc (Kaduna Electric) is one of 18 successor companies created following the privatization of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria in 2013 and sells electricity in four northern states.

The utility owes N110bn, NERC said in a noticed,  to companies including the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trader and power generation firms. The regulator said it now considered the company a ‘failing licensee’, allowing NERC to dissolve its board using a law passed last year.

Kaduna Electric was taken over by African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) and local lender Fidelity Bank in July 2022 but they have struggled to improve its financial performance. The Nigerian government through its Bureau of Public Enterprises also owns a 40% stake.

NERC said it had appointed an administrator and special directors to manage Kaduna Electric in the interim and sell its assets to the highest bidder.

It stated that Dr. Umar Abubakar Hashidu is hereby appointed as the administrator of KAEDC in furtherance to section 75 of the EA.

“The administrator shall be the de facto chief executive officer of KAEDC and shall be responsible for the management of the day-to-day affairs of the utility pending the finalisation of the sale of the undertaking to a new core investor.

“The administrator shall work with a team of special directors that shall constitute non-executive directors of the board for governance purposes. The following are hereby appointed as special directors for KAEDC; Alex A. Okoh, Chairman, Kabir Adamu, Sharfuddeen Zubair Mahmoud, John Ayodele and Rahila Thomas.”

It added that the executive management team that shall work with the administrator would be constituted by the commission and announced in due course.

“The Commission shall administer the sale of the undertaking in accordance with the provisions of the EA on the basis of the highest and best price offered for the undertaking.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Umar Abubakar Hashidu has resumed office as the Chief Executive Officer of Kaduna Electric.

A statement issued by Abdulazeez Abdullahi, the head of Corporate Communication, this morning, said a brief handover ceremony presided over by the NERC’s Commissioner for Legal Licensing and Compliance, Dafe Okpaneye, at the company’s corporate headquarters in Kaduna.

At the ceremony, which was followed by a short interaction with staff, Okpaneye thanked the former MD for the work he had put in in the past 18 months to move the company forward.

He charged Dr. Hashidu to harness the talent and resources available to him to take Kaduna Electric to greater heights.