Electricity In Ukwa-West.
Sunday (Afor) 21-12-2025.
It is interesting to read that Abia State Governor will be in Ukwa-West tomorrow, Monday (Nkwo) 22nd December, 2025, to formally switch-on reconnected power lines in Asa land.
Equity Global Reporters Ltd wishes to applaud the General Manager of Abia State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, ASOPADEC, for committing some meagre percentage of resources meant for the development of Ukwa-West as an Oil-Producing Area to issues of electricity in Ukwa-West Local Government Area.
There is no gain saying that electricity is fundamental to economic development. It was in realisation of this fact that an illustrious son of Asa land, Sir Don Ubani, while serving as a Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, led some prominent Asa men to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu in 2022 for restoration of electricity to Ukwa-West Local Government Area.
Governor Ikpeazu, who did not hesitate to give approval to the request of Asa people on electricity, spontaneously released funds for execution of the project which was cordinated by a three-man committee made up of Hon Tony Mezie Nwubani, Dr Lucky Eleogu, and Sir Eugene Ijeoma Dike, as Chairman, Secretary, and Member, respectively.
The Tony Mezie Nwubani-led Committee did a very transparently effective job, and electricity was restored to Ukwa-West, except in areas where the communities had lossely allowed hoodlums amongst them to steal from their transformers.
One striking innovation the Committee did was to reroute Ukwa-West Electricity Power Line from Aba-Port-Harcourt Express Road, where hoodlums ceaselessly vandalised the poles and wires and, so, constantly cut off Ukwa-West from electricity, and passed the line through Umugo which is a walking distance to Obingwu village in Asa-North Ward of Ukwa-West Local Government Area. That innovation was a near-perfect one, as vandalisation of poles and wires almost became a thing of the past.
Ukwa-West was fully reconnected to the National Grid as at November 2022 before there was heavy rains and wind in February 2023 which led to collapse of many electric poles in Obuzor and, later, Obehie. Unfortunately, those incidents gave rise to vandalisation of poles, wires and, in some cases, transformers in those places. That eventually affected supply of electricity in many parts of Ukwa-West.
In many parts of Asa Group, including Umuiku-Isi-Asa, Obingwu, Omuma-Uzor and Umuezeke, their transformers, poles and wires were not tampered with and, so, the people there have been having light since then, up till now.
In as much as what ASOPADEC has done with just an insignificant portion of money meant for Ukwa-West is commendable, it must be stated that this is not the first time the issue of electricity in Ukwa-West has been addressed.
On this occasion that the Governor of Abia State is expected to visit Ukwa-West to switch-on the reconnected power lines, Equity Global Reporters Ltd wishes to remind the Governor that he has been very unfair to Asa People.
To buttress this claim, his attention is drawn to the following;
(1) His refusal to fulfill his election campaign promise to return/establish ASOPADEC Headquarters to/in Ukwa-West,
(2) Totalitarian refusal to have an indigene of Ukwa-West appointed a Permanent-Secretary, even when some Local Government Areas have more than four Permanent-Secretaries,
(3) While he has started and completed more than twenty solid roads in his Arochukwu Local Government Area of origin, there is no road to be pointed at in Ukwa-West that stands to his credit,
(4) 32% of 13% of Oil Derivation Fund from the Federation Account, as stipulated by law, is not being released to ASOPADEC, otherwise the General Manager would have established the presence of the Commissission in Asa land, even Traditional Rulers in Asa Land would have felt the presence of the Commission,
(5) President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been releasing humongous amounts of money to Ukwa-West Local Government Council but the money seems not to be accessible to Ukwa-West Local Government Council, and that is why there is extreme poverty and frustration in the area,
(6) Abia State Government, after forcefully dispossesing Asa People of their lands, using Abia Industrial And Innovation Park, AIIP, purely as a subterfuge, has since abandoned the Park, including the Seaport at Owaza it mocked and ridiculed Asa People with, and
(7) Abia State Government designed some areas in the State as special development areas but deliberately and disdainfully refused to include Ukwa-West Local Government Area, the only Oil-Producing Local Government Area in the State, in that category.
Equity Global Reporters Ltd urges the Governor to consider ‘retrofitting’ his mind towards Asa People. He should have a change of mind towards them. Perpetually treating them with hate and disdain, despite their enormous contributions to the economy and well-being of Abia State, may not be adjudged right, if not before Man, before God Almighty.
Sir Don Ubani is a former Commissioner for Information and Strategy in Abia State, and Publisher of Equity Global Reporters Ltd.
