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Aba Power Limited Electric, Nigeria’s newest electricity distribution company, has apologised to residents of Umuomainta Community in Nbawsi-Nsulu, Ngwa North Local Government Area of Abia State for failure to supply them with power on Easter Sunday.
In a message to leaders of the community on Monday which was made available to PREMIUM TIMES, spokesperson of the Aba Power Limited Electric, Edise Ekong, explained that lack of power supply was due to the failure of one of its major wire and cable suppliers to provide it with wires last weekend.
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Mr Ekong stressed that the wires would have enabled the electricity firm to reconnect the community to regular electricity supply.
“We are surprised that this contracting firm could fail to provide the needed wires because its two storekeepers travelled out of town at the weekend to celebrate Easter without making any arrangement for the supply of the wires from their store to our people on site,” he said without mentioning the company’s name.
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The spokesperson regretted that the community had been without power supply for three weeks following the destruction of six high tension poles in the area by a windstorm.
“It’s so pesky to see this community comprising nine villages without light during Easter after Aba Power had paid the contractor fully upfront and the contractor was informed clearly of the urgency of the situation,” he said.
Mr Ekong recalled that poles were procured from Abak in Akwa Ibom State and Port Harcourt, Rivers State due to scarcity of electricity poles in Aba, Abia State capital.
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He added that the procured electricity poles were subsequently mounted promptly, “with our operational staff waiting for three days to reconnect supply” to the community but got disappointed by the contractor.
The spokesperson then assured that the electricity firm would resume power supply to the community on Tuesday (Today).
“We have just obtained wires from two traders who sold the material to us at a high price because of the Easter holidays, so our operational staff members are about to return to site,” he said.
Blacklisting
Mr Ekong then said the Aba Power Limited Electric consequently blacklisted the wire and cable supply company over the alleged breach.
“We have no option than to blacklist this firm and sever all forms of business relationship with it immediately, even though this is the first time it has breached terms of contract,” he said.
He expressed gratitude to elders of the Umuomainta Community and their followers for their support “when they saw our crew installing the poles at the weekend.”
‘Stay away from poles’
Meanwhile, Mr Ekong said the Aba Power has appealed to residents of the community to stay away from poles during rains because many of the “poles in our distribution network are weak and compromised.”
“They were installed about 15 years ago during the Power Holding Company of Nigeria days and, from the look of things, they didn’t meet technical requirements.
“We don’t want to lose any person to electrocution, nor do we want poles to fall on people,” he said.
The spokesperson said the electricity firm has lost over 70 high tension poles and 10 low tension poles to windstorms and haulage trucks in the last one month due to the “unprecedented economic activity in the state” with many trucks in numerous project sites.
“We would, therefore, appeal to truckers to have our wires and poles in mind when they are driving.
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“In fact, it is in their interest that they do because contact with live wires is often dangerous,” he said, expressing happiness that no trucker had been electrocuted in Aba
ring-fenced area recently.
Aba Power in perspective
Aba Power Limited Electric is a subsidiary of Geometric responsible for distributing the power generated by the plant.
Owned by Nigeria’s former Minister of Power, Barth Nnaji, the 188 megawatt Geometric Power Plant has since generated power for nine of the 17 local government areas in Abia.
The nine local government areas are Aba North, Aba South, Osisioma Ngwa, Obingwa, Ugwunagbo, Isialangwa North, Isialangwa South, Ukwa East and Ukwa South – all in the Abia Axis of the state.
The power plant which is in Aba, Abia State was commissioned by Vice-President, Kashim Shettima, on 26 February 2024.
The commissioning happened after over 20 years following intense legal battles between the owner of the power plant, Mr Nnaji and others, including management of the Enugu State Electricity Distribution Company.
Regarded as Nigeria’s first integrated electrical facility in Nigeria’s South-east, the power plant is expected to accelerate power supply to industrial clusters in the region, beginning in Aba.
The project is said to be worth over $800 million.
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