The Abia State Government, in collaboration with the Federal Government, Wednesday, November 26, 2025 announced a strategic partnership with the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) to deliver yet another landmark energy project that will transform power supply in Umuahia and strengthen the electricity infrastructure across Abia State.
This project is being executed under the visionary leadership of President Bola Tinubu, whose administration has continued to champion critical infrastructural investments to support economic growth, enhance productivity, and improve the daily lives of Nigerians.
In alignment with this national drive, the administration of Governor Alex Otti, remains fully committed to providing Abians with modern power solutions, efficient energy distribution, and sustainable infrastructure that will accelerate development across communities.
The groundbreaking ceremony, held Wednesday at the State Secretaraite, Umuahia, kick-started the construction of key installations, which includes
1×7.5MVA, 33/11KV injection substation, 1KM of 33KV line and 1.2KM of 11KV line, installation of 2-units of 300KVA distribution substations and deployment of 2KM of Low Tension (LT) Line.
These facilities are expected to tremendously improve power reliability, reduce transformer load stress, boost commercial activities, and enhance overall grid stability for Umuahia and surrounding areas.
Governor Alex Otti in a speech at the event said that access to electricity should be a right and not privilege reserved only for the rich in the urban centres.
He said that his administration set up the Abia State Electricity Regulatory Authority (ASERA) to reposition the electricity market in the state, as a model of reliability, transparency and fairness.
He explained that the objective is to make the market attractive to local and international investors to protect families and corporate entities from extortion.
Governor Otti, assured investors that the investment, would yield great dividends, not just strictly on returns on investments, but in the wider impact on the economy, through higher industrial outputs, job creation and resuscitation of dormant economic assets.
The project, a partnership between Abia State, Federal Government and the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), would deliver another landmark energy project that will transform power supply in Umuahia and strengthen the electricity infrastructure across Abia State.
He thanked the President Bola Tinubu, for effective redirection of the national outlook on electricity to accommodate a broader spectrum of stakeholders, including States, private sector players and a network of international partners.
This is as he also thanked the NDPHC management led by Jennifer Adighije, for looking favourably to Abia State for these strategic infrastructure investments, designed to improve power distribution within and around Umuahia.
This gesture according to Governor Otti, has further strengthened the State Government’s conviction in the power of partnership, as a reliable development vehicle.
He assured decision-makers at the NDPHC that the Abia State Government shall leverage every resource at its disposal to see to the timely actualisation and activation of these projects in ways that serve the economic and social needs of the communities.
The Abia State Governor announced that these landmark infrastructure projects further deepens NDPHC’s presence in the State, following the completion and commissioning of Phase 1 of the Alaoji Power Plant and the ongoing work on Phase 2 of the project.
“We cannot thank you enough for your expanding investments in Abia and then, your optimism in the potential of our State, as an emerging economic powerhouse.
“The commitments you are making in this place would also draw the attention of investors and multiple economic actors. My verdict is that the NDPHC, through its investments, is accelerating national development, by solving a problem that had hitherto limited the productivity of the people and restricted the capacity to create wealth, through productive endeavours.
Read also: Otti vows to transform Abia into a hub for creative enterprise
“Electricity as we had pointed out is the wheel that drives industrial and commercial activities. Intensive research efforts have established that regular electricity supply and consumption are positively correlated to most critical development indicators, like the gross domestic product (GDP) growth, industrial productivity, trade and investments inflows.
He continued, “For us, electricity is the foundation of development, the enabler of growth and the most enduring pathway to social prosperity. Our commitment to expanding access to electricity is firmed on the understanding that without it, every development aspiration is entirely an exercise in self-deceit.
“As a government, we have taken bold and pragmatic steps to fix the electricity conundrum in our State, through informed legislation, policy initiatives, recruitment, investment and partnerships.
“We have prioritised the optimisation of energy supply and consumption for the simple reason that our broad development outline, would fall apart if we cannot generate and push enough power to the frontlines of economic activities around the State”.
He observed that the road to energy sufficiency is still far, but noted that the progress his administration has made in the last 30-months gives plenty of reasons for optimism.
“In the Aba ring-fenced electricity corridor, supply has continued to move northwards, the distribution of prepaid meters to consumers is also picking up and gradually, the private-sector led energy systems architecture in Aba and environs is racing towards operational stability.
“Furthermore, our success in the acquisition of state-wide energy distribution infrastructure outside the Aba ring-fence corridor from a private investor speaks to our determination to holistically address the perennial challenge of poor infrastructure, not only in Aba and adjoining communities, but across every other neighbourhood in the state.
“When we realised that the NDPHC was going to instal a 7.5MVA injection substation, we decided to proactively match them with another 7.5MVA to raise the capacity to 15MVA, as that is what will effectively serve Umuahia and environs.”
He said that the project is captured in the 2026 appropriation bill and that work will commence as soon as the budget is activated, noting that the electricity-for-all initiative is at the heart of the mini-grid regulatory framework, which was recently signed with a network of international partners.
Governor Otti, stated that the ultimate goal is to build a stable, private-sector led electricity market in Abia and called on the NDPHC to prioritise the timely delivery of the project, because of its strategic importance to the economic growth and development of Nigeria.
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