The Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy and Development (FENRAD) has launched a blistering attack on the prolonged power outage crippling the Aba Ring-Fence Area of Abia State, accusing the existing electricity market structure of trapping millions of residents and businesses in a “dangerous monopoly” that leaves consumers helpless whenever the system fails.
The civil society organisation warned that the latest blackout has once again exposed the fragility of Aba’s electricity architecture, where dependence on a single generation and distribution network has placed the economic heartbeat of the state at the mercy of technical failures beyond consumers’ control.
In a statement signed by its Executive Director, Nelson Nnanna Nwafor, FENRAD called for the immediate restoration of electricity across the affected communities while demanding sweeping regulatory and structural reforms to dismantle monopoly tendencies within the Aba electricity market.
According to the organisation, the outage began at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Friday, July 31, after a disruption in natural gas supply to the 188-megawatt Geometric Power Plant located in the Osisioma Industrial Layout.
The incident has left the entire Aba Ring-Fence Area, comprising nine local government areas, without electricity, bringing economic and social activities to a standstill.
Manufacturing firms, hospitals, schools, commercial centres, small-scale enterprises and thousands of households have been severely affected, forcing many businesses to rely on costly diesel and petrol generators to remain operational amid Nigeria’s worsening economic realities.
FENRAD noted that public statements issued by Aba Power attributed the outage to a significant reduction in gas pressure caused by technical challenges experienced by its gas supplier.
While acknowledging the significant role played by Geometric Power in improving electricity supply within Aba over the years, the organisation insisted that the current crisis has revealed deep structural weaknesses that require urgent government intervention.
“FENRAD recognises the strategic importance of the Geometric Power Project in transforming electricity supply within Aba and appreciates the efforts made over the years to improve power reliability in the commercial hub,” Nwafor said.
“However, the current situation once again exposes the vulnerability of a power system that depends on a single generation source and a single distribution structure without adequate redundancy or competitive alternatives.”
The group warned that every additional hour of blackout translates into massive financial losses for Aba, widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s foremost manufacturing and commercial centres.
According to FENRAD, prolonged electricity disruption increases production costs, reduces business output, destroys livelihoods and compounds the hardship already confronting households and entrepreneurs across the state.
“Every hour of blackout translates into lost productivity, increased operating costs through dependence on diesel and petrol generators, reduced incomes, and avoidable hardship for households and businesses already grappling with prevailing economic challenges,” the statement read.
The organisation called on Heirs Energies, Aba Power, Geometric Power Limited, Nigerian Gas Marketing Limited (NGML), the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the Abia State Electricity Regulatory Agency (ASERA), and other relevant stakeholders to urgently resolve the gas supply disruption and restore electricity without further delay.
FENRAD also demanded greater transparency from all operators, insisting that consumers deserve clear explanations regarding the root cause of the outage, the measures being implemented to resolve it, and a definite timeline for restoring normal electricity supply.
Beyond the immediate restoration of power, the organisation urged regulators to confront what it described as the structural deficiencies embedded in the Aba Ring-Fence electricity arrangement.
According to the group, the existing framework concentrates operational risks in the hands of a single provider, effectively leaving consumers with no alternatives whenever major technical or supply failures occur.
“The current monopolistic arrangement within the Aba Ring-Fence electricity market limits consumer choice and concentrates operational risk within a single network,” Nwafor stated.
“Where a sole provider experiences a major technical or supply failure, millions of consumers are left without viable alternatives.”
FENRAD further urged ASERA to strengthen regulatory oversight, enforce strict compliance by electricity operators, improve transparency and guarantee stronger consumer protection across Abia State’s electricity sector.
The organisation equally called on the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), ASERA, the Federal Ministry of Power and the Abia State Government to undertake a comprehensive review of the Aba Ring-Fence electricity framework to encourage competition, improve infrastructure resilience, promote consumer choice and attract greater private investment into the sector.
It also advocated accelerated investment in gas infrastructure, diversified fuel supply arrangements, stronger transmission networks and robust contingency mechanisms capable of preventing similar disruptions in the future.
FENRAD maintained that reliable electricity remains indispensable to industrial productivity, healthcare delivery, education, environmental sustainability and overall socio-economic development.
The organisation concluded by expressing solidarity with residents and businesses affected by the blackout, urging all responsible institutions to act with urgency not only to restore electricity but also to implement long-term reforms capable of delivering a resilient, transparent and consumer-centred electricity market in Abia State.