Power
PROF. Bart Nnaji, a former Minister of Power, has advised state governments in the South-East to abandon plans to build individual power plants and instead partner with existing private investors to expand electricity supply across the region.
Nnaji said that the capital required to build and operate modern power infrastructure was beyond the financial capacity of most state governments.
“What we built in Aba is over $800 million for nine local governments,” he said.
He explained that Geometric Power has sufficient capacity to supply electricity beyond its current franchise and could expand to serve the entire South-East.
He cited comments recently made by Abia State Governor Alex Otti encouraging neighbouring governors to collaborate with Geometric Power instead of establishing separate plants.
“The fact of the matter is that we have power plant and we can provide power to more than just Abia State. And we have the capacity to expand power that can serve the entire South-East,” he said.
Although electricity has been moved to the Concurrent Legislative List, Nnaji argued that legislative changes alone would not solve the financing challenge.
He said that only Rivers and Akwa Ibom states had built power plants, but both struggled with operations because governments are generally not efficient business managers.
Instead, he advocated public-private partnerships backed by credible private investors capable of attracting international financing.
He also challenged the South East Development Commission to move from discussions to implementation.
“They can. But let them do it and let us see,” he said.
A.I
July 23, 2026
Tags: Governor Alex Otti Prof. Bart Nnaji