Aba Power has promised residents of Umuomainta in Ngwa North Local Government Area of Abia State that electricity will be restored by Easter weekend. The community lost power after six high-tension poles were destroyed, part of over 70 high-tension and 10 low-tension poles damaged in recent weeks due to storms and vehicle impacts. Edise Ekong, Senior Brand and Communications Manager at Aba Power, attributed delays in repairs to a surge in demand for poles, driven by expanding electricity access and economic growth in the Aba Ring-fenced Area. He said the company's Managing Director, Barrister Ugo Opiegbe, had directed staff and suppliers to source poles from Port Harcourt in Rivers State to meet demand.
Aba Power now serves communities previously without electricity for years, including Nvosi in Ngwa South LGA and Ntigha, which was transferred from Enugu Electricity Distribution Company in December. The company is set to commission a 41-kilometre dedicated line for manufacturers in Ukwa West LGA and also supplies electricity to parts of Etche LGA in Rivers State. Ekong noted that new infrastructure projects, industries, and housing developments are increasing pressure on the power network. Curing poles takes three weeks, and Aba Power inherited many weak poles when it took over operations three years ago. The utility confirmed that staff would work through Good Friday to restore power.
Aba Power's scramble for poles from Port Harcourt exposes a supply chain stretched thin by rapid electrification. Edise Ekong's admission that curing takes three weeks means delays are structural, not just logistical. For Nigerians in Abia, improved power is real but fragile, hinging on infrastructure that can't keep pace with growth. The expansion into Rivers State towns shows Aba Power is functioning beyond its original mandate, but sustainability depends on long-term planning, not emergency fixes.
