Abia Breaks Away From National Grid Woes, Turns Waste Into Power

The Abia State Government has announced a major shift in its power sector, revealing that waste products are now being converted into biogas to generate renewable energy for residents of the state.

Governor Alex Otti disclosed this on Thursday while addressing journalists at the Government House, stating that Abia has taken full control of its electricity regulation and is no longer under the oversight of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

According to the governor, the initiative is part of a pilot programme aimed at transforming waste into clean energy, with particular focus on powering the Umuahia industrial clusters.

“Instead of discarding waste, we are converting it into renewable energy. This will help power several areas, especially our industrial zones in Umuahia,” Otti said.

He added that the new power arrangement had been successfully negotiated with the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), which currently oversees electricity distribution in the state. The governor noted that discussions have progressed to the point where the state is now working to raise funds to settle outstanding obligations with the utility firm.

Otti further revealed that on December 24, the Abia State Electricity Regulatory Authority officially assumed responsibility for regulating electricity generation, distribution, and transmission within the state.

“Everything about power—generation, transmission, and distribution—is now regulated internally. The goal is efficiency, independence, and reliable supply, similar to what Aba Power is already doing for the Aba industrial areas,” he explained.

The governor also pointed out that Abia was largely unaffected by recent national grid collapses, attributing this to the state’s growing control over its power assets.

“Some of the recent grid failures did not affect us because a significant portion of our power infrastructure is under state authority. That is why we are focused on acquiring and fully managing the Umuahia industrial power assets,” he said, expressing optimism about the progress made so far.

National Grid Suffers Another Collapse

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s national electricity grid recorded its second collapse of 2026 on Tuesday, plunging large parts of the country into darkness.

The incident reportedly caused electricity generation to fall from over 4,500 megawatts to zero by late morning, as all 23 power generation companies connected to the grid lost output. Consequently, none of the 11 electricity distribution companies received power allocation.

Experts have linked recurring grid collapses to aging infrastructure, poor maintenance, technical faults, and unstable generation capacity.

Peter Obi Slams Power Sector Performance

Reacting to the latest collapse, former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, described the situation as a continuation of Nigeria’s deepening electricity crisis.

In a statement titled “2026: The Collapse Continues,” Obi noted that the grid failure mirrored patterns from previous years, pointing out that the first collapse of 2025 also occurred in January and was followed by several others.

He lamented Nigeria’s poor electricity access, noting that nearly 100 million citizens remain without power and that the country has ranked lowest globally in electricity access for three consecutive years.

Obi compared Nigeria’s output with other African nations, describing the gap as alarming.

“South Africa and Egypt generate over 40,000 megawatts each, while Algeria produces more than 50,000 megawatts. Nigeria, with over 240 million people, struggles to generate just 5,000 megawatts,” he said.

He attributed the persistent crisis to leadership failures, stressing that the power sector requires competent and committed management to function effectively.

Metering, Grid Expansion Key to Long-Term Fix – NNG

Offering solutions to the recurring system failures, the Nigeria National Grid (NNG) identified nationwide metering and grid expansion as critical long-term measures.

According to the grid operator, proper metering would improve revenue collection across the electricity value chain, reduce estimated billing, and ensure that generation companies, gas suppliers, and service providers are adequately paid.

“Metering brings transparency, fairness, and trust. When combined with grid expansion, improved transmission capacity, reliable gas supply, and strong regulation, stable power supply becomes achievable,” the NNG stated.

Although Nigeria currently generates about 5,000 megawatts, experts estimate that the country needs more than 30,000 megawatts to meet the electricity demands of its growing population.