Abia Electricity Regulator Sets Benchmark with Geometric Power Visit

The newly established Abia State Electricity Regulatory Commission (ASERA) has begun its operations on a confident and positive note, issuing a public endorsement of Geometric Power Ltd, one of Nigeria’s foremost integrated power groups. The move is widely seen as an effort to inspire confidence in the state’s electricity sector.

The assessment, hailed today by the Owerri-based non-governmental organization Oriental Renaissance, followed media reports quoting ASERA leadership praising Aba Power, a member of the Geometric Power Group, as setting the standard by which Nigeria’s 11 other electricity distribution companies (DisCos) will now be measured.

The ASERA delegation that visited Geometric Power was led by the commission’s Executive Chairman, Engr. Emeka Onyegbule, alongside Iguwo Ukwu, Executive Director of Legal and Regulatory Matters, and Iheanyi Weze, Executive Director of Engineering and Technical Affairs.

In a press statement signed by its president, Dr. Richard Ogbonna, and secretary, Barrister Uche Nwosu, Oriental Renaissance commended ASERA’s public recognition of a high-performing power company. “By making its positive evaluation public, ASERA has shown that it understands the duties of a regulator and how to promote businesses in their sectors in the modern world,” the group said.

The NGO noted that many Nigerian regulatory agencies have historically focused on punishing businesses, often dramatizing such actions in the media, rather than encouraging organizations that meet standards. One notable exception, it said, was NAFDAC under the late Professor Dora Akunyili, which simultaneously disciplined counterfeiters while promoting compliant companies like Nigerian Breweries plc, May & Baker, and Nemeith Pharmaceuticals plc.

“On her 50th birthday in 2014, these compliant operators organized the largest public birthday celebration in Nigeria for an individual—a well-deserved tribute to excellence in public service,” the group recalled.

Oriental Renaissance emphasized that by publicly sharing its positive evaluation of Geometric Power’s performance, ASERA is following a similar path to NAFDAC under Akunyili, promoting both public interest and sector growth. “Regulatory bodies exist to protect the interests of all stakeholders—the consumers, government, and businesses alike—not merely to punish,” the statement said.

The NGO also noted that ASERA’s approach supports Governor Alex Otti’s vision of an “Abia ready for business,” citing the interest of global brands like Marriott and Radisson in Aba, as well as the ambitious Enyimba Economic City, modeled after Chinese cities such as Shanghai. It concluded that “constant and quality electricity in the nine local government areas of the Aba Ring-fenced Area is truly a game changer.”