FENRAD Applauds Restoration Of Electricity Supply To Aba Ring-Fenced Area, Calls For Sustainable Gas Supply Alternatives

PRESS RELEASE

FENRAD Applauds Restoration Of Electricity Supply To Aba Ring-Fenced Area, Calls For Sustainable Gas Supply Alternatives

Aba, Abia State — August 8, 2026

The Foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy and Development (FENRAD) Nigeria commends Aba Power and the entire Geometric Power Group for the restoration of electricity supply to the Aba Ring-Fenced Area following a prolonged disruption caused by the interruption of gas supply to the Geometric Power Plant.

FENRAD acknowledges the efforts of Aba Power, Geometric Power, Heirs Energies, the Abia State Government, relevant regulatory authorities, community stakeholders, electricity consumers, businesses, and other concerned groups whose interventions contributed to the restoration of power to the nine Local Government Areas within the Aba Ring-Fenced Area.

The restoration of electricity, following the resumption of adequate gas pressure to the Geometric Power Plant, comes as significant relief to residents, businesses, manufacturers, artisans, traders, healthcare providers, educational institutions, and other electricity-dependent enterprises across Aba and its environs.

FENRAD particularly appreciates the resilience, patience, and understanding demonstrated by electricity consumers throughout the period of the blackout. The prolonged outage imposed significant economic and social burdens on households and businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises that depend heavily on reliable electricity for their daily operations.

NEED FOR ALTERNATIVE AND SUSTAINABLE GAS SUPPLY ARRANGEMENTS

While welcoming the restoration of electricity supply, FENRAD believes that the recent disruption has once again exposed the vulnerability of electricity generation and distribution in the Aba Ring-Fenced Area to interruptions in gas supply.

The Foundation therefore calls on Geometric Power, Aba Power, Heirs Energies, relevant government institutions, regulators, and other stakeholders to urgently develop and implement alternative and complementary gas supply arrangements capable of ensuring continuity of power generation in the event of a failure or deficiency in the existing gas supply infrastructure.

FENRAD recognizes the challenges associated with ageing gas infrastructure and the efforts reportedly made to restore the failed component. However, the significant impact of the disruption on electricity consumers and the local economy underscores the urgent need for stronger contingency mechanisms.

FENRAD recommends that stakeholders:

Develop alternative gas supply sources and routes to reduce overdependence on a single supply infrastructure.

Establish a robust emergency power-generation contingency plan for the Aba Ring-Fenced Area in the event of future gas supply disruptions.

Prioritize the maintenance, rehabilitation, and modernization of ageing gas infrastructure serving power generation facilities in the region.

Strengthen coordination among gas producers, power generators, distribution companies, regulators, and government authorities to ensure rapid responses to infrastructure failures.

Institutionalize transparent and timely communication with electricity consumers whenever major disruptions occur, including clear information on the cause of outages, restoration efforts, and realistic timelines where possible.

COORDINATED COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT IS ESSENTIAL

FENRAD further calls for a more structured and coordinated approach to community engagement during major electricity or gas supply crises.

The solidarity demonstrated by business groups, traders’ associations, manufacturers, landlords’ associations, government representatives, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders during the recent crisis demonstrates the important role communities can play in protecting and sustaining critical infrastructure.

FENRAD believes that such engagement should not only occur during emergencies. A permanent stakeholder engagement framework involving electricity consumers, host communities, businesses, civil society organizations, traditional institutions, government agencies, and industry operators should be established to facilitate dialogue, information sharing, conflict prevention, and collective problem-solving.

RELIABLE ELECTRICITY IS CRITICAL TO ABA’S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Aba remains one of Nigeria’s important commercial and industrial centres, with thousands of businesses and manufacturing enterprises relying on dependable electricity to remain productive and competitive.

FENRAD therefore urges all stakeholders to view the restoration of electricity not merely as the end of a crisis, but as an opportunity to strengthen the resilience of the entire Aba electricity ecosystem.

The Foundation recognizes the efforts of the Abia State Government, relevant electricity regulatory authorities, the State House of Assembly Committee on Power and Public Utilities, Aba Power, Geometric Power, Heirs Energies, business associations, civil society groups, and other stakeholders who worked toward resolving the crisis.

FENRAD particularly commends electricity consumers across the Aba Ring-Fenced Area for their resilience, patience, and understanding during what was a difficult period for households, businesses, manufacturers, traders, and other electricity-dependent users.

The Foundation encourages all stakeholders to build on the lessons from the recent disruption and ensure that future challenges are met with better preparedness, diversified supply options, faster response mechanisms, effective consumer communication, and stronger community coordination.

FENRAD remains committed to advocating for environmental justice, responsible energy governance, consumer rights, sustainable development, and access to reliable and affordable electricity for communities across Nigeria.

SIGNED:

Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor

Executive Director

Foundation for Environmental Rights Advocacy and Development (FENRAD) Nigeria