The Abia State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to building a world-class electricity market that would guarantee reliable power supply, attract investors and protect consumers across the state.
This was made known during a public consultation on draft electricity regulations organized by the Abia State Electricity Regulatory Authority (ASERA) where stakeholders, electricity consumers and industry experts gathered to make inputs into the proposed regulatory framework for the state’s electricity market.
Speaking at the event, the Commissioner for Power and Public Utilities, Ikechukwu Monday, said the administration of Alex Otti is focused on establishing an electricity market that serves all categories of residents and businesses in the state.
According to him, the consultation process demonstrates the transparency and inclusiveness the government is adopting in reforming the power sector.
“This event shows the transparency that we are putting together in building the electricity market.
“One of our key targets and one of the directives of His Excellency, Governor Alex Otti, is that we build a world-class electricity market that works for our people.
“So we are building a market that everybody will be a key player. And like they say, the customer is the king. So it’s not just the key player, but the customer is a very critical stakeholder,” Monday stated.
The Commissioner commended ASERA for developing the draft regulations and explained that the consultation was necessary to obtain feedback from consumers and stakeholders as part of efforts to provide reliable electricity to Abians, describing power supply as a major driver of socio-economic development.
He further disclosed that Aba Power and the Geometric Group had, within the last six months, deployed over 120,000 electricity meters to households within their franchise area, adding that plans are underway to replicate the feat across other local government areas of the state.
In a keynote address, the Chairman of the Abia State Electricity Advisory Council, Sam Amadi, said the consultation was aimed at ensuring efficient electricity service delivery, strengthening consumer confidence and guaranteeing speedy resolution of customer complaints.
Amadi noted that public participation remains critical in building a credible and legitimate regulatory system capable of sustaining the state’s electricity market.
Earlier in his opening remarks, the Chairman of Abia State Electricity Regulatory Authority, Emeka Onyegbule, said the engagement was designed to allow consumers and stakeholders contribute meaningfully to regulations that would guide the electricity sector in the state.
“We have gathered to rob minds, and to also open up ourselves to public scrutiny in terms of what we are doing at the authority and what we stand as a people, as customers, to benefit from what we are doing because we know if we stay in our offices we can make these regulations.
“But without getting input from critical partners like you, that regulation may not succeed. So it’s going to be a room, you can call it an incubation room where ideas would be put forward, challenged, and at the end of the day we will be able to have documents that can help us work and achieve the objectives of His Excellency Dr. Alex Otti in the power sector,” Onyegbule stated.
He explained that the consultation marks a major milestone in the implementation of the Electricity Act 2023 and the Abia State Electricity Law 2025, both of which provide the legal foundation for the establishment of a sub-national electricity market in the state.
According to him, ASERA is committed to creating a transparent, efficient, investor-friendly and customer-focused electricity market capable of driving economic growth and improving service delivery.
“As a statutory regulator of the Abia State electricity market, ASERA is committed to building a transparent, efficient, investor-friendly, and customer-focused electricity sector that is capable of supporting our economic growth aspirations and improved service delivery across the state.
“We want to make our markets a market of destination where investors can have confidence in what we are doing,” he added.
Also speaking, the Lead Consultant on Power at the Nigerian Governors Forum, Odion Omonfoman, described the establishment of ASERA as a significant step towards the development of the Abia electricity market.
He noted that public scrutiny and stakeholder participation are essential to the long-term success of any regulatory framework.
“The Nigerian Governors Forum recognizes that the success of a decentralized power market relies entirely on fair, commercially viable and consumer-protective regulations,” he said.
Omonfoman commended ASERA for what he described as its swift and transparent implementation of the Electricity Act and the Abia State Electricity Law, adding that the consultation process has set a standard for transparency, public accountability and inclusive governance in the state’s electricity sector.
