By BONIFACE AKARAH

The Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy and Development (FENRAD) has called for the immediate restoration of electricity to Aba and its surrounding communities following the prolonged blackout caused by the disruption of gas supply to the 188MW Geometric Power Plant, while urging regulators to review what it described as the monopolistic structure of the Aba Ring-Fence electricity market.

The civil society organisation, in a statement issued on Friday by its Executive Director, Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor, said the outage, which began around 6:30 p.m. on July 31, had crippled economic and social activities across the nine local government areas served by Aba Power.

“The outage, which commenced at approximately 6:30 p.m. on Friday, July 31, 2026, has left the nine local government areas served under the Aba Ring-Fence without electricity, disrupting commercial activities, healthcare facilities, educational institutions, manufacturing industries, and the livelihoods of thousands of residents and businesses that depend on stable power supply,” the statement read.

While acknowledging the role of the Geometric Power Project in improving electricity supply in Aba, FENRAD said the incident had exposed the risks of relying on a single power generation source and distribution network.

“FENRAD recognizes the strategic importance of the Geometric Power Project in transforming electricity supply within Aba and appreciates the efforts made over the years to improve power reliability in the commercial hub. However, the current situation once again exposes the vulnerability of a power system that depends on a single generation source and a single distribution structure without adequate redundancy or competitive alternatives,” the organisation stated.

The group warned that the blackout was imposing severe economic hardship on manufacturers, traders and residents, noting that every hour without electricity translated into lost productivity, higher operating costs and declining incomes.

It called on Heirs Energies, Aba Power, Geometric Power Limited, the Nigerian Gas Marketing Limited, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, the Abia State Electricity Regulatory Agency (ASERA) and other relevant authorities to work together to restore gas supply and electricity without delay.

“The public deserves transparent and timely updates on the nature of the disruption, the remedial measures being undertaken, and a realistic timeline for the restoration of service,” FENRAD said.

Beyond the immediate outage, the organisation urged the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, ASERA, the Federal Ministry of Power and the Abia State Government to undertake a comprehensive review of the Aba Ring-Fence electricity framework to encourage competition and reduce operational risks.

“The current monopolistic arrangement within the Aba Ring-Fence electricity market limits consumer choice and concentrates operational risk within a single network. Where a sole provider experiences a major technical or supply failure, millions of consumers are left without viable alternatives,” it said.

FENRAD further argued that breaking the monopoly would strengthen the electricity market and improve service delivery.

“Unbundling monopolistic tendencies within the Ring-Fence will foster efficiency, improve consumer choice, strengthen market resilience, and reduce the systemic risks associated with dependence on a single electricity provider,” the statement added.

The organisation also called for increased investment in gas infrastructure, diversified fuel supply arrangements, stronger transmission systems and contingency mechanisms to prevent future disruptions, insisting that reliable electricity remained essential for industrial growth, healthcare, education and sustainable development.

FENRAD said it stood in solidarity with the people and businesses of Aba and urged all relevant institutions to act with urgency, transparency and accountability to restore power while pursuing long-term reforms that would guarantee a resilient, competitive and consumer-centred electricity sector in Abia State.