Security has been beefed up in parts of Aba, the commercial city of Abia State and its environs, including Umuahia, the capital, ahead of the planned visit by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the state.
The Eastern Updates reports that the President’s visit to the state was postponed from Saturday to today.
Although there has not been any official statement from the state government on the visit of the President, our correspondent gathered that there have been crucial meetings between the agencies of the state government, management of Geometric Power Ltd and heads of security agencies, to ensure a successful visit of the President today.
It was learnt that some identified black spots have been manned by security agencies, especially in Osisioma Local Government and Aba metropolis, to prevent insecurity.
The Chairman/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Geometric Power Ltd, Prof. Barth Nnaji, said Aba Integrated Power Project, which would be inaugurated on Monday (today) by President Tinubu, would provide power for electricity users in the nine local governments of the state under the Aba Ring Fenced Area.
Read Also: Tension As Unknown Gunmen Kill Community Leader In Anambra
He noted that the power plant would not only help in solving the power challenge of Aba, but also other parts of the country, as the excess power would be sent to the national grid for distribution to other parts of the country.
Nnaji, who spoke yesterday in an interview in Osisioma Local Government headquarters of the facility, said the management of the company had committed over $800million as part of their commitment towards ensuring that the power project was a reality.
He added that the project was the largest investment of a private sector in the Southeast.
Nnaji, former Minister of Power, said his company had licence to produce 188 megawatts of electricity, noting that the three turbines (from the General Electric (GE) United States), already installed and awaiting inauguration by President Tinubu, would produce 47 megawatts each.
Nnaji, who disclosed that a feasibility study carried out by the company has it that it needs about 100 megawatts because of the heavy equipment used by industries in Aba and other local governments within the ring fenced areas, said the power plant would help the industries in Aba to reduce their cost of production, which he attributed to the high cost of goods manufactured in Aba.
Prof. Nnaji, allaying fears of high cost of electricity by electricity users, said they would bill their customers beyond the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) approved benchmark, under whose supervision the company would carry out their activities.
“The inauguration of the turbines will be staggered, i.e. they will be inaugurated one by one. The first turbine will increase power supply to Aba Ring Fence Area by 47MW, which is almost double of the current 25MW supply from the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC). When the first turbine is inaugurated, it will be monitored. Once the performance is considered satisfactory, the second turbine will be inaugurated.
“Aba and the environs may not absorb more than 100MW right now. Excess power from the three turbines will be sent to the national grid to assist other parts of Nigeria to receive more electricity.”
Commissioner for Power and Public Utilities, Ikechukwu Monday, who was at the news briefing with the Senior Special Adviser to the Governor on Media, Mr. Ferdinand Ekeoma, lamenting that the company and the state had suffered loss in the last 20 years that the process had lingered, said Governor Alex Otti was happy that the project had become a reality.
