Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has reaffirmed his belief in Nigeria’s ability to chart its own path to success, declaring that the country possesses all the resources, both human and material, needed for greatness.
Speaking on Monday at the inaguration of new substations of the Geometric Power Plant in Ogbor Hill, Aba, Abia State, Obasanjo said his decision to issue a licence to Prof. Barth Nnaji to operate the power company was driven by his faith in Nigeria’s indigenous capabilities.
He praised the progress recorded by Geometric Power, describing it as proof that Nigerians can deliver on complex projects if given the opportunity.
“When I was giving you the encouragement, two people came to me to ask why I was giving Nigerians such responsibility, that they would disappoint me. You have not disappointed me and you did not disappoint all those, including everyone that supported you to realise this project,” Obasanjo said.
He stressed that the success of Geometric Power was a lesson in self-belief and self-reliance.
“The lesson to learn again here, within ourselves, among ourselves, and by ourselves, is that we have what it takes to develop,” Obasanjo said.
The former President also called on Nnaji to extend the reach of Geometric Power’s distribution services to other parts of the state to enhance development and industrialization.
In his remarks, Abia State Governor, Alex Otti, reiterated his administration’s commitment to addressing the challenges of power supply.
He disclosed that the state government was finalising plans to assume control of electricity distribution from the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company in order to ensure more reliable supply.
He noted that Geometric Power’s installed capacity of 141 megawatts is sufficient to serve all nine local government areas within Aba’s industrial ring-fence.
Otti emphasised the importance of rebuilding decaying infrastructure at substations before injecting power into them, and called on traditional rulers in Osisioma LGA to help protect the new installations.
Also speaking, the Chairman and CEO of Geometric Power, Nnaji, described the journey to establishing a dependable power ecosystem in Aba as one of vision, perseverance, and strategic investment. He expressed gratitude to Obasanjo for initiating the idea and to Otti for his support.
“Our focus has always been about more than just electricity,” added the Group Managing Director of Geometric Power, Mrs. Agatha Nnaji.
“It’s about igniting potential and powering a new era of growth and prosperity,” she said.
The Managing Director of Aba Power Ltd., Ugochukwu Opiegbe, highlighted the steps taken to guarantee efficient power delivery across the city.