History has been made in Rivers State's Etche Local Government Area, as many towns now receive energy from Aba Power, Nigeria's newest power distribution firm situated in Aba, Abia State.

According to Vanguard, Hon. Chima Njoku, chairman of Etche Local Government Area, expressed pleasure at the development. He hailed it as a long-anticipated breakthrough for the public.


"My joy knows no bounds as my people now have constant, quality and affordable electricity for the first time in years," according to him.

Drawing a biblical analogy, Njoku added: “I now feel like Simeon, the godly old man in the Bible who sang nunc dimittis on living to see the Infant Jesus Christ dedicated in the temple, and he did so with his own eyes.”

Residents claim the towns have been without electricity for more than a decade. Mrs. Bernadette Obi owns a huge fishing operation in Umuola, one of the benefited villages. She referred to the restoration of power as transformational.

"Our current LGA chairman, Honourable Chima Njoku, promised throughout his election campaign to address our LGA's perennial electrical problem if elected, and he has followed his word. "He is an exceptional public servant," she stated.

Obi disclosed that the council chairman purchased a number of distribution transformers for various communities. This was done to ensure that everyone had access once the supply was restored.

She further explained that Njoku took the initiative to approach Aba Power. He did so to connect the communities to its distribution network because of the company’s reputation for quality service.

Senior Brand and Communication Manager of Aba Power, Edise Ekong, confirmed the development. He told journalists that it was indeed the Etche council boss who initiated discussions with the utility.

“We were initially skeptical since the LGA falls within the Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company jurisdiction,” Ekong said.

“Arising from his incessant pressure, we asked him to contact PHEDC while we contacted the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, and all relevant parties consequently reached an agreement that we supply power to the communities.”

Ekong expressed delight at the positive feedback from residents. He noted that they are satisfied not only with the constancy of supply but also with the quality and tariff structure.

“It has been a week now that electricity has not blinked for a second in these communities in Rivers State,” he declared.

He, however, noted that sustained supply would depend largely on gas availability.

"Once there is gas supply, all our customers will continue to enjoy uninterrupted electricity unless there are local issues like trucks hitting our poles and overhead wires or vandalism of our distribution infrastructure by miscreants," according to him.

Ekong also stated that talks are underway with unnamed state governments, towns, and big manufacturing companies. These are located outside nine of Abia State's 17 local government areas that comprise the Aba Ring-fenced Area, with the goal of securing power supply from the utility, which is Nigeria's 12th distribution company.


This development represents a fundamental shift in inter-utility collaboration in Nigeria's power sector. It demonstrates rising confidence in Aba Power's operational capacity outside of its regular coverage region.