The Abia State Government has restored electricity to 33 communities in Ukwa West Local Government Area that were plunged into total blackout for nine years.
Governor Alex Otti while performing the Power Switch-On Ceremony organised by the State Government at the Central Primary School, Obehie, Ukwa West LGA, on Monday ,assured residents of reliable and sustainable electricity supply.
The Governor noted that the intervention was in fulfilment of a promise he made in March to reconnect the affected communities to power, stressing that his administration places high value on keeping its word.
“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 Professor 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 Professor Nnaji for the excellent work he has done”, Governor Otti said.
The Governor further commended the Chief Executive Officer of Geometric Power, Prof. Bart Nnaji, for his resilience and long-term commitment to the power sector, disclosing that the former Minister of Power had invested about 800 million dollars in building the company.
According to Governor Otti, the investment was a necessary sacrifice for development, adding that the partnership between the State Government and Aba Power was critical to delivering stable electricity.
He also disclosed that the State Government would work with the Ukwa West Local Government Council to support residents who may be genuinely unable to meet their monthly electricity bills.
“I will therefore mandate the Mayor to sit with the Honourable Member, 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”, the Governor said.
Responding to calls for the appointment of an indigene of Ukwa as a Permanent Secretary in the State Civil Service, Governor Otti reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to meritocracy, stressing that such appointments, including those of Permanent Secretaries, are not determined by Local Government considerations but by competence and due process.
He explained that anyone aspiring to become a Permanent Secretary must write the required examinations and pass interviews.
Governor Otti also revealed that a worker earlier disengaged from service had been reinstated after investigations showed he was not culpable.
“When I was here in March, I made two promises; the first was to restore light to the communities that had been cut off for several years and that is what we are here to do today.
“The second promise concerned a young man named Promise, who was said to have lost his job. I directed that an investigation be carried out, and if he was not found culpable, he should be reinstated and the last time I checked, I was told he is back at work.
“We are not perfect, but you can take our word to the bank. If we say we will do something, we will do it and if there is something we will not do, we will also say so clearly”, he said.
The Governor urged residents to protect public infrastructure, noting that community vigilance was essential to sustaining development projects.
In his remarks, Prof. Nnaji assured residents of uninterrupted electricity supply, stating that Ukwa West falls within the nine Local Government Areas served by Aba Power Limited.
He disclosed that 33 transformers had been installed in the area, alongside several distribution lines, and explained that electricity would be generated outside the national grid, making it immune to national system collapses.
Prof Nnaji further revealed that a 42-kilometre power line, costing about N2 billion, was under construction to support Local Industries, but lamented that the line had already been vandalised seven times.
He appealed to residents to stop vandalism and energy theft and urged them to report suspicious activities to Aba Power or the State Government.
Also, the General Manager of the Abia State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (ASOPADEC), Mr Joshua Onyeike, described the restoration of power as a landmark achievement and a symbol of hope for the people of Ukwa West.
Mr. Onyeike urged residents to safeguard the infrastructure, noting that vandalism had previously stalled development efforts and commended the State Government for ensuring that the dividends of democracy were evenly distributed.
Contributing, the lawmaker representing Ukwa West State Constituency, Chief Godwin Adiele, commended the Otti administration for its performance within a short period and expressed confidence that it would sustain the tempo.
Chief Adiele said residents were looking forward to the flag-off of key commercial road projects along the Umezeke, Obokwe and Ogwati routes, as earlier promised by the governor, and appealed for electricity tariff relief for the largely agrarian and oil-producing area.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Power and Public Utilities, Mr Ikechukwu Monday, said the project involves the rehabilitation of 30 transformer distribution substations, the installation of 12 new transformers, the restoration of 34 kilometres of high-tension lines and 3.5 kilometres of low-tension lines.
Monday added that benefitting communities were being metered to ensure effective billing and noted that although some challenges that caused past outages still exist, the Government had put measures in place to prevent future disruptions.
He emphasised the importance of electricity and stressed that electricity remains a central pillar of Abia State’s development agenda.
