After experiencing 31 consecutive days of stable power, residents in the Aba Ringfence, which includes nine of the 17 local government areas (LGAs) in Abia State, were hit by a power outage this past weekend.
Ugo Opiegbe, the Managing Director of Aba Power, confirmed the interruption, stating, “We regret that we lost power supply from Heirs Energies, who are working in partnership with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL). We sincerely apologize to our many customers who have been enjoying continuous power since December 17, making them the first in Nigeria to experience such consistent service in years.”
Opiegbe did not specify the cause of the disruption in the gas supply from Heirs Energies, which operates Oil Mining Licence (OLM) 17 in Owaza, Ukwa West LGA.
However, sources indicated that vandals targeting crude oil and petroleum products were responsible for damaging the Eastern Gas Network over the weekend.
These vandals often attack pipelines carrying both gas and oil, making it difficult to distinguish between them.
The frequency of attacks on critical infrastructure, including telecommunications, electricity, and petroleum facilities, has been increasing in Nigeria.
Recently, even the State House in Abuja was plunged into darkness after an attack on the transmission facilities supplying power to the Federal Capital Territory, with President Bola Tinubu among the victims.
Despite the gas supply interruption, Opiegbe assured that power was still available in parts of the Aba Ringfence area.
“We quickly switched to the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) to restore service. While the NDPHC supply is helping, it is limited, and not all areas are receiving power,” Opiegbe explained.
He assured customers that the company is working tirelessly to restore full power supply to all nine LGAs in the Aba Ringfence area, emphasizing that they remain committed to providing uninterrupted electricity service.
