PRESIDENT Jonathan will in November commission the Geometric PowerProject in Aba, Abia State, although the project will commence the supply of electricity in the next three weeks. With the commissioning, about 141 megawatt would be available to the city.
Disclosing this at the weekend in Enugu, the chairman and chief executive of Geometric Power Limited, Professor Bart Nnaji said that the project was a response to the dire electricity needs of Aba with its numerous industries but unreliable electricity supply. He noted that similar "projects could be undertaken for critical manufacturing centers like Nnewi, Onitsha in Anambra State, to achieve uninterrupted electricity supply."
Speaking as Guest Lecturer at the second South East media summit organised by the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) Zone C, in collaboration with the Gregory University, Uturu Okigwe, Nnaji pointed out that "of all the basic infrastructural facilities required for modern existence in Nigeria, public electricity supply is probably the most challenging.
"The consequences of not having reliable electricity are well known: closure of industries, rising cost and stifling of businesses, escalation of unemployment and criminal activities, damage of costly machines including heavy industrial machines and hospital equipment."
According to the former Minister of Power, the challenge for Aba, "which has for decades enjoyed the reputation of being Nigeria's foremost city of indigenous technology and manufacturing" was very frustrating. But it was in response to the electricity need of the city that in 2005, his company responded to the liberalisation policy of the Federal Government "to contribute our quota to generate and distribute constant and quality electricity to industries in Aba at competitive rates."
Reflecting on the electricity sector in the South East, Nnaji pointed that the electricity sector is a very critical area in the regional integration. He said that it is for this reason that "the infrastructure to distribute electricity in the region must be in the hands of those who will be able to deliver quality service."
He disclosed that a consortium is already in place with the five South East state governments. According to him, "the goal is to focus on ensuring that within the shortest time possible, the entire South East is self reliant on electricity."
