✳️FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
❇️FENRAD Calls for Immediate Resolution of Prolonged Power Outage in Aba, Raises Concerns over Monopoly in Aba Ring-Fence Electricity Market
❇️Date: August 1, 2026
Aba Abia State
✳️The Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy and Development (FENRAD) a prominent civil Society organization and public accountability watchdogs expresses deep concern over the prolonged power outage that has plunged the Aba Ring-Fence Area into darkness following the disruption of natural gas supply to the 188MW Geometric Power Plant located in Osisioma Industrial Layout.
◻️The outage, which commenced at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Friday, July 31, 2026, has left the nine local government areas served under the Aba Ring-Fence without electricity, disrupting commercial activities, healthcare facilities, educational institutions, manufacturing industries, and the livelihoods of thousands of residents and businesses that depend on stable power supply.
According to public statements issued by Aba Power, the disruption resulted from a significant drop in gas pressure attributed to technical challenges affecting its gas supplier. While reports indicate that the interruption stems from operational constraints in gas supply infrastructure, the consequences continue to be borne by residents, businesses, healthcare facilities, educational institutions, and industries across the Aba Ring-Fence.
◻️FENRAD recognizes the strategic importance of the Geometric Power Project in transforming electricity supply within Aba and appreciates the efforts made over the years to improve power reliability in the commercial hub. However, the current situation once again exposes the vulnerability of a power system that depends on a single generation source and a single distribution structure without adequate redundancy or competitive alternatives.
◻️The economic implications of this outage are enormous. Aba remains one of Nigeria’s foremost manufacturing and commercial centres, with thousands of small and medium-scale enterprises relying on uninterrupted electricity for production and service delivery. Every hour of blackout translates into lost productivity, increased operating costs through dependence on diesel and petrol generators, reduced incomes, and avoidable hardship for households and businesses already grappling with prevailing economic challenges.
◻️FENRAD therefore calls on Heirs Energies, Aba Power, Geometric Power Limited, the Nigerian Gas Marketing Limited (NGML), the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the Abia State Electricity Regulatory Agency (ASERA), and all relevant regulatory authorities to urgently collaborate and deploy every available technical and operational resource to restore gas supply and electricity to the affected communities without further delay.
◻️The public deserves transparent and timely updates on the nature of the disruption, the remedial measures being undertaken, and a realistic timeline for the restoration of service.
◻️Beyond the immediate crisis, FENRAD believes that the incident has highlighted a more fundamental structural issue requiring urgent policy attention.
◻️The current monopolistic arrangement within the Aba Ring-Fence electricity market limits consumer choice and concentrates operational risk within a single network. Where a sole provider experiences a major technical or supply failure, millions of consumers are left without viable alternatives
◻️FENRAD further urges the Abia State Electricity Regulatory Agency (ASERA) to actively exercise its regulatory mandate by ensuring strict compliance with applicable electricity market regulations, safeguarding consumer interests, strengthening oversight of licensed operators, and promoting transparency and accountability in electricity service delivery within Abia State.
◻️Consequently, FENRAD calls on the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the Abia State Electricity Regulatory Agency (ASERA), the Federal Ministry of Power, and the Abia State Government to urgently undertake a comprehensive review of the Aba Ring-Fence electricity framework with a view to encouraging greater competition, infrastructure redundancy, and a more resilient electricity market.
◻️The review should address existing monopolistic tendencies while promoting an enabling environment for responsible private sector participation, improved service delivery, enhanced consumer protection, and increased investment in electricity infrastructure.
▫️Unbundling monopolistic tendencies within the Ring-Fence will foster efficiency, improve consumer choice, strengthen market resilience, and reduce the systemic risks associated with dependence on a single electricity provider.
Furthermore,
◻️FENRAD urges all stakeholders to accelerate investments in gas infrastructure modernization, diversify fuel supply arrangements, strengthen transmission resilience, and develop contingency mechanisms capable of mitigating similar disruptions in the future. The recurring dependence on a single gas supply chain and limited operational alternatives poses significant risks to energy security and economic stability in the Aba Ring-Fence.
Reliable electricity is not merely an economic necessity;
▫️It is a fundamental driver of sustainable development, environmental protection, industrial growth, public health, education, and social wellbeing. Communities should not repeatedly bear the burden of institutional and infrastructure deficiencies that can be addressed through sound planning, effective regulation, coordinated investment, and a competitive electricity market.
◻️FENRAD stands in solidarity with the people and businesses of Aba during this difficult period and urges all responsible institutions to act with urgency, transparency, and accountability to restore electricity while pursuing long-term reforms that will guarantee a resilient, competitive, reliable, and consumer-centred electricity sector for Abia State.
📌Signed:
Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor
Executive Director
Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy and Development (FENRAD)
Media Contact:
Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy and Development (FENRAD)
Tel; 08033383708,07062949232
Email: info@fenrad.org
Website: www.fenrad.org ng www.fenrad.org.ng
