Abia State has effectively insulated itself from the recurrent collapses of the national electricity grid, Governor Alex Otti declared on Thursday, unveiling a strategic shift towards renewable energy and state-level regulation of power supply.
Speaking with journalists at the Government House in Umuahia, the governor said his administration is investing in the conversion of organic waste into electricity, a move aimed at guaranteeing energy security and reducing reliance on the national grid.
Otti explained that waste products are being processed into biogas and deployed as renewable energy to serve communities across the state, with particular focus on agro-based clusters around Umuahia. He said the initiative aligns with global best practices and reflects a forward-looking response to Nigeria’s persistent power challenges.
In a major regulatory development, the governor disclosed that Abia is no longer under the control of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), following the takeover of electricity regulation by the Abia State Electricity Regulation Authority on December 24.
According to him, the new framework was negotiated and accepted by the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), which currently handles power distribution in the state. He added that the state government is in the process of raising funds to offset agreed obligations to the company.
“This is a pilot programme. Instead of throwing away waste, we can turn it into clean energy, and we will be able to power a lot of places, particularly the Umuahia in-farms,” Otti said.
He noted that the goal of the reform is to entrench efficiency and operational independence in Abia’s power sector, likening the arrangement to the Aba Power model that supplies electricity to Aba and its industrial areas.
The governor stressed that the impact of the reforms is already evident, recalling that Abia was spared during recent nationwide grid collapses that left several parts of the country in darkness.
“I am sure you would have been aware that some of the disasters that happened recently, our state was not affected, because a whole part of our power assets is within our authority,” he said.
