By Suleiman Anyalewechi
The umbrella body of Aba landed property owners, Aba Landlords Protection and Development Association, ALPADA, has lauded the foresight and great sense of patriotism exhibited by former Minister for Power, Prof Bartholomew Nnaji, in siting the multi-billion dollar power generating plant- Geometric – in the commercial nerve centre of Abia State.
It described the presence of the first power generating and distribution outfit as a catalyst to the reclamation of the faded industrial and commercial fortunes of Aba.
The President-General of APALDA, Engr. Leonard Onyemesiri, who spoke on Thursday, April 23, 2026, when he led other executive members of the body to the corporate Headquarters of Geometric in Ossisoma area Aba to confer a meritorious award ” Ezi-Enyi ALPADA” on Nnaji, noted that the establishment of Geometric and its subsidiary, Aba Power Limited APLE, has brought succor to residents, as well as bringing back life to business activities in Aba.
“Of a truth, and before the establishment of APLE company in Aba, electricity consumers wittinessd unnecessary stress and loss of income because of non,or epileptic supply of electricity in Aba and its environs.
“Both the small and medium scale industries were seriously affected due to irregular or non-supply of electricity for production.
“We all know Aba to be the Japan of Africa in terms of production and manufacturing of essential goods and services . Commercial activities were brought to a halt owing to lack of regular power supply.
“The situation led to high cost of living in Aba and its environs. In summary, Aba residents suffered huge economic losses estimated at several trillions of Naira, with many lives lost in the hospitals due to power outages”, Onyemesiri stated.
However, the Association expressed happiness that the coming on board of Geometric, and APLE has restored normalcy to business activities, and improved general living conditions of the people.
According to ALPADA, although Geometric and APLE are still work in progress, the power generating and distribution giant has significantly impacted the over all industrial ,and commerical fortunes of Aba, and its environs through improved power supply.
“We are proud of the progress APLE is making in the supply of regular electricity to its consumers ,as well as its mass pre-paid metering efforts, which is still in progress in its area of operations-the Aba Ring Fence” Onyemesiri added.
ALPADA, while appreciating the commitment of the APLE, and its parent body, Geometric, to their core mandate of serving as a catalyst to the industrial and commerical reengineering of Aba and its environs, applauded their efforts so far in resolving the huge power supply deficit that exited before now.
“Our visit is mainly to express our gratitude to you for sitting Geometric Power in Aba. To share our joy with you on the tremendous progress we have witnessed within the short period of its existence.
“To pledge our readiness and commitment to APLE company as partners in progress ,as well as to solicit your cooperation and assistance in core areas of benefits to ALPDA members” Onyemesiri noted.
Speaking after the formal presentation of the ALPADA meritorious award to the chairman/founder of Geometric Power, the founding President-General of the Association, Chief Alphonsus Udeigbo, assured of members commitment to collaborate with all relevant authorities and stakeholders to ensure that the equipment and operations of the outfit are not sabotage.
“Apart from the honour we have bestowed on the Chairman today in recognition of his service to God and humanity, we, as an association, will be intentional in providing information that will prevent attempts by some unscrupulous elements to sabotage this great investment that has been brought to us in Aba.
“We are honouring you today because of your outstanding contributions to the growth and development of Aba and Abia state in general”, Udeigbo stated.
Responding, Prof Nnaji, while appreciating the honour bestowed on him expressed immense gratitude to APALDA for identifying with the organization during one it’s darkest hours.
He recalled how ALPADA came to the defence of the company when it was having a running battle with the Transmission Company of Nigeria,TCN, over power allocation/sales from the national grid.
He described the early period of the operations of the company , when it had to buy bulk power at higher cost from TCN, and was forced by circumstances to service consumers at lower cost due to regulatory constraints as very difficult.
“When we were yet to start powering our plants during the early period our operations,we were relying on supply from the national grid.
However, the problem then was that as a private outfit, TCN was selling bulk power to us at a price higher than what the law permitted us to charge consumers.
“In essence, we were forced by circumstances to operate at a huge loss because much as we were determined to continue to service our customers, we were buying the bulk power at higher cost than we were allowed by law to sell.
“Yet, even at that difficult level, the TCN was threatening, at some point, to cut us off completely from the national grid . We immensely appreciate ALPADA for stepping in then to fight for us, until we successfully navigated the turbulence” Nnaji recalled.
He assured of a continuous improvement in service delivery , noting that APLE has remained on top when it comes to meeting the power supply needs of consumers.
Prof . Nnaji also promised to continue to work together with ALPADA for much more progress.
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