The Governor of Abia State has announced that the state is no longer affected by power failures resulting from the frequent collapse of Nigeria’s national electricity grid.
He made this disclosure on Thursday while addressing journalists at the Government House in Umuahia.
According to the governor, his administration has begun investing in the conversion of organic waste into electricity, a move that has significantly reduced the state’s dependence on the national grid.
He explained that waste products are now being processed into biogas and converted into renewable energy for residents of the state. He also revealed that Abia State is no longer under the regulatory control of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
The governor further stated that the new power arrangement had been negotiated and accepted by the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), the utility firm responsible for electricity distribution in the state.
“This is a pilot programme. Instead of throwing away waste, we can turn it into clean energy, and we will be able to power a lot of places, particularly the Umuahia industrial farms,” he said.
He added that discussions with EEDC had reached an advanced stage, noting that the state government is currently raising funds to settle outstanding obligations.
“I had reported earlier that our offers to EEDC have been accepted, and we are in the process of raising the funds to pay off EEDC,” the governor disclosed.
He also revealed that Abia State has officially taken over electricity regulation within its jurisdiction.
“On the 24th of December, the Abia State Electricity Regulation Authority took over the regulation of power from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission. So everything about distribution, generation, and transmission is going to be regulated within the state,” he said.
The governor explained that the move was aimed at ensuring efficiency, independence, and stability in power supply, similar to the Aba Power model that currently serves parts of the state.
“The whole idea is to ensure regulation of efficiency and independence in the state, just like the Aba Power provides power for the Aba industrial farms,” he noted.
He further pointed out that recent national grid collapses did not affect Abia State due to the state’s growing control over its power assets.
“I am sure you would have been aware that some of the disasters that happened recently, our state was not affected, because a whole part of our power assets is within our authority,” he said.
Describing the development as a major milestone, the governor expressed optimism about the future of power supply in the state.
“That is the whole idea of acquiring the whole Umuahia industrial farms. I am happy we are making a lot of progress in that regard,” he added.
