The Abia government on Monday restored electricity to 33 communities in Ukwa West LGA after nine years of blackout.

Speaking at a ceremony in Obehie, organised by the Abia government to mark the formal power switch-on, Governor Alex Otti assured the people of a reliable power supply, going forward.

Mr Otti said that the intervention fulfilled a promise he made in March to reconnect the affected communities to electricity. He expressed confidence in the project’s sustainability, commending the CEO of Geometric Power Limited, Bart Nnaji, for his resilience and long-term investment in the power sector.

He disclosed that Mr Nnaji had invested about $800 million in bringing his power company to where it stands today, describing it as “a necessary sacrifice for power development”.

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.

He urged residents to protect public infrastructure, adding that community vigilance was key to sustaining development projects.

Mr Nnaji assured residents of a regular electricity supply, adding that the area falls within the nine LGAs served by Aba Power Limited, a subsidiary of Geometric Power Limited.

He disclosed that the area had received wz33 transformers and that several distribution lines had been installed.

He added that power in the area would be generated outside the national grid, keeping it stable even during national grid failures.

Mr Nnaji said that a 42-kilometre power line was also under construction at a cost of about N2 billion to support local industries in the area.

He therefore appealed to residents to stop vandalism and energy theft, noting that the under-construction line had been vandalised seven times so far.

He urged the community to report any suspicious activities to Aba Power Limited or the government.

(NAN)