Abia Govt Targets World-Class Electricity Market

Abia State commissioner for Power and Public Utilities, Ikechukwu Monday, has said the government is set to achieve a world-class electricity market to fastrack the economy of the state.

Monday stated this yesterday at a public consultation on draft regulations for the State Electricity Regulation Authority (ASERA) in Umuahia, the state capital, describing the move as novel.

He noted that the event speaks to the level of commitment, accountability and transparency the Alex Otti-led administration is putting in place to ensure the actualisation of the project.

He said, “We are building a market that everybody will be a key player. And like they say, the customer is the king. So it’s not just the key player, but the customer is a very critical stakeholder.”

In a keynote address, the chairman of the State Electricity Advisory Council, Sam Amadi said the event dwelt on efficient delivery of services, develop consumer confidence in the credibility and legitimacy of regulatory decisions.

‎The lead consultant (power), Nigerian Governors Forum, Odion Omonfoman, said the establishment of  the authority marked a critical step towards the development of the state.

‎”The NGF is proud to support the decentralization of the power sector and commended ASERA for moving swiftly and transparently to implementing the mandates of the Electricity Act and the Abia State Electricity law,” he added.

‎Earlier in his opening remarks, the chairman of the authority, Emeka Onyegbule said it committed to building a transparent, efficient, investor-friendly, and customer-focused electricity sector.

‎”We want to make our markets where investors can have confidence in what we are doing and some of you investors here can testify that we are making efforts to bring you on board and also to be customer-focused,” he said.