Ukwa West power restored as Abia Government reconnects 33 communities after nine years. Gov. Otti assures stable supply, with Geometric Power investments boosting sustainability.
Tuesday, December 23, 2025 | Aba – Abia State
Ukwa West power was officially restored on Monday as the Abia State Government reconnected electricity to 33 communities in Ukwa West Local Government Area (LGA) after nine years of total blackout.
Speaking at a ceremony of Ukwa West power in Obehie to mark the formal power switch-on, Governor Alex Otti assured residents of reliable electricity supply going forward.
Otti said the intervention fulfilled a promise he made in March to reconnect the affected communities to power.
He expressed confidence in the project’s sustainability, commending the Chief Executive Officer of Geometric Power Limited, Prof. Bart Nnaji, for his resilience and long-term investment in the power sector.
He disclosed that Nnaji had invested about 800 million dollars in bringing his power company to where it stood today, describing it as “a necessary sacrifice for power development”.
“You know better than anyone how long this place has been in darkness and in a few moments, we will turn on the lights, and from today, you will enjoy 24-hour power supply.
“I say this with confidence because Prof. Bart Nnaji is here with me and everywhere he has worked, the story is the same.
“The other day, someone told me that in the last 120 days, electricity in his house has not blinked once
and I want to sincerely thank Nnaji for the excellent work he has done,” the governor said.
He further said that the government would work with the local government to support residents who might be unable to pay their monthly electricity bills to ensure that Ukwa West power is sustainable.
“I will, therefore, mandate the Mayor to sit with the lawmaker, the commissioner, and other stakeholders, to work out a way to support those who genuinely cannot afford to pay.
“I am not asking you to do what I have not done. I have already done this in my own community,” Otti said.
He urged residents to protect public infrastructure, stressing that community vigilance was critical to sustaining development projects.
In his remarks, Prof. Bart Nnaji assured residents of regular electricity supply, noting that the area fell within the nine LGAs served by Aba Power Limited, a subsidiary of Geometric Power Limited.
He said the area had received 33 transformers, with several distribution lines already in place.
According to him, power in the area would be generated outside the national grid, ensuring stability even during national system collapses.
Nnaji disclosed that a 42-kilometre power line was under construction at the cost of about N2 billion to support local industries in the area.
He appealed to residents to stop vandalism and energy theft, revealing that the line under construction had been vandalised seven times.
He urged the community to report suspicious activities to Aba Power Limited or the government.
Nnaji commended the Abia Government for its commitment, describing the project as a major milestone in ensuring reliable electricity for residents, businesses, and industries.
The General Manager of the Abia State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, Mr Joshua Onyeike, said restoring Ukwa West power marked a critical milestone in local government development.
Onyeike described the project as a symbol of progress and renewed hope for residents, urging them to protect the infrastructure, noting that past vandalism had stalled development.
He thanked the government for ensuring that the dividends of democracy were evenly distributed across the state.
Also speaking, the lawmaker representing Ukwa West State Constituency, Chief Godwin Adiele, said the Otti-led administration had performed well within a short period and expressed confidence in its continued delivery. He said Ukwa West power restoration is another win for the governor.
Adiele said apart from Ukwa West power residents were anticipating the commencement of key commercial road projects along the Umezeke, Obokwe, and Ogwati routes, as earlier promised by the governor.
He noted that the LGA was largely populated by smallholder farmers and remained the state’s only oil-producing region, urging the government to consider electricity tariff relief for the people.
The Commissioner for Power and Public Utilities, Mr Ikechukwu Monday, said the Ukwa West power project involved rehabilitating 30 transformer distribution substations, installing 12 new transformers, restoring 34 kilometres of high-tension lines, and 3.5 kilometres of low-tension lines.
Monday said the benefiting communities were currently being metered to ensure effective billing.
He emphasised electricity as a cornerstone of Abia’s development agenda, acknowledging that some legacy challenges remained but assured that measures were in place to prevent future disruptions.
Visit GMTNewsng for more news stories.
