By Sampson Uhuegbu
Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has made a strong case for a coordinated regional energy strategy as the foundation for industrialization and long-term economic revival in Nigeria’s South East, declaring that the region possesses enough energy resources to generate between 10,000 and 15,000 megawatts of electricity within the next decade if properly harnessed.
Otti spoke on Wednesday at the South East Vision 2050 Regional Stakeholders’ Forum held at the International Conference Centre, Enugu, where he delivered an address titled “Powering industrialization in the South East: the case for a regional energy strategy.”
The forum, convened under the auspices of the Office of the Vice President, the Federal Ministry of Regional Development and the South East Development Commission (SEDC), drew governors, policymakers, private sector leaders, development partners, and community representatives to chart a 50-year development trajectory for the region.
The Abia governor said the event had already succeeded in shifting conversations from “the glory of individual states and communities to the destiny of the collective,” stressing that the South East could no longer afford to operate in silos if it hoped to unlock its vast economic potential.
Otti argued that reliable electricity supply remains the single most important factor in reviving the region’s industrial heritage, particularly in cities such as Aba, long known as the manufacturing hub of the South East.
He cited the experience of Aba following the commissioning of the Geometric Power plant, describing it as practical proof that steady and predictable electricity supply directly translates into increased investments, resurgence of businesses, real estate growth, and job creation.
“Power is the foundation of industrial growth and the modern Aba is proof that investments and higher enterprise outputs are functions of steady and predictable power supply,” he said.
According to him, the resurgence of hundreds of previously moribund businesses in Aba over the past two and a half years was not merely the result of road rehabilitation or urban renewal, but primarily due to restored private sector confidence driven by improved governance and reliable power.
Otti commended the Federal Government for reforms in the power sector following the Nigerian Electricity Act of 2023, which liberalized the electricity market and enabled states and private entities to participate directly in electricity generation, transmission and distribution.
He said conversations about a regional energy strategy would not have been possible without the legal framework created by the Act.
In Abia, he disclosed, the state government had already moved to take advantage of the new regime by enacting a mini-grid regulatory framework, acquiring distribution assets previously owned by Interstate Electric, and establishing the Abia State Electricity Regulatory Authority (ASERA), which has now taken over regulatory responsibilities from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
“Effectively, the Abia State Government is functionally involved in every layer of the electricity value chain in the state, with a long-term view to creating a stable market that would eventually be driven by competent private sector players,” he said.
The governor proposed a three-legged framework for a South East regional energy strategy: resource identification and optimisation, sustained investment in energy infrastructure, and adoption of the right market model.
On resource identification, Otti said the region is richly endowed with multiple energy sources that remain largely untapped.