Nigerian Electricity distribution companies, commonly called DisCos, are the final link between power generation and the Nigerian consumer.
These firms hold the responsibility for metering, billing, infrastructure maintenance, and responding to outages.
For most Nigerians, electricity reliability is more than a convenience; it determines whether businesses thrive or shut down.
The efficiency of each DisCo directly affects productivity, cost of living, and even security.
According to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Nigeria has a total of 13,339,635 registered electricity customers across the twelve (12) DisCos, out of which 7,182,909 are yet to be metered. This represents 53.85% of electricity customers across the country.
Since the privatization of electricity distribution companies in 2013, the 11 licensed DisCos, with one more added recently to make a total of 12 in Nigeria, have been tasked with improving power supply and expanding access to prepaid meters. However, performance has varied widely, with a few players accounting for the largest share of connected customers across the country.
This article examines the chief executives leading Nigeria’s top ten electricity distribution companies (DisCos) by registered customer numbers as of the first quarter of 2025. The executives are responsible for keeping the lights on for millions of homes and businesses across the country.
Here are the CEO’s of the 12 DisCos ranked by registered customer numbers
Barr. Ugo Opiegbe is the Managing Director of APL Electric Company Limited (Aba Power), Nigeria’s 12th electricity distribution company serving the city of Aba and nine out of the seventeen local government areas in Abia State.
Aba Power currently has 210,911 registered customers in Q1 2025 under its franchise, which was fully integrated into the national grid in 2024 following 2024 after the launch of the Geometric Power project. There are no reported billings or collections for the period.
He was appointed in March 2024 and is in charge of running the company and making major decisions to help Aba Power grow. Mr. Opiegbe studied Law at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and also has a Master’s Degree in Tax Law from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, USA. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators of Nigeria.
He has also worked as a lawyer in top law firms like Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie and Streamsowers & Co., and even in the United States, where he helped provide free legal services to people who couldn’t afford lawyers.
Before becoming Managing Director, Mr. Opiegbe worked for many years at Geometric Power Limited, where he was the Executive Director of Legal Services. His job was to handle all the company’s legal matters, contracts, and agreements with other companies in Nigeria and abroad.
