National Blackout: Governor Otti says he wants to remove Abia from the national grid

The governor made this known while speaking at the commissioning of Ultimum Beverages’ multimillion-dollar production facility in Aba, which is a state-of-the-art plant, built by the Kadji Group on March 27, 2026, in Abia State.

According to Otti, improving the state's power infrastructure is a key component of his administration's plan in positioning Abia as an attractive hub for investors.

“My main target is to remove the entire Abia from the national grid. My Commissioner for Power is already in the Netherlands negotiating. If we secure an additional 125 megawatts, we will channel it straight to Umuahia and detach the full state from the national grid. That's our mission,” he said.

After becoming governor in 2023, Alex Otti's reforms have improved the power sector in Abia, where part of the state is no longer under the national grid. While addressing journalists in the state house in January 2026, Otti boasted that Abia is no longer affected by the incessant national grid collapse that continues to affect other parts of the country.

In February 2024, Alex Otti inaugurated the Abia Geometric Power Plant, a 141MW (expanding to 188MW) gas-fired independent power plant, to provide reliable electricity to industrial and residential customers. The company, led by former Minister of Power Bart Nnaji, currently serves 9 local governments.

The Abia State government created the Abia Electricity Regulatory Authority to manage the generation, distribution, and transmission of power in the state. This is in line with Alex Otti's vision to ensure the Abia Geometric Power Plant provides electricity for the whole state and cuts off the dependency on the national grid.

The Electricity Act 2023 empowers state governments and private investors to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity. This deregulation has allowed Abia State, under Alex Otti's leadership, to take a pioneering position in achieving a 24-hour supply.

While Abia State might be getting closer to making electricity issues a thing of the past, the rest of the country is still confronted by the issues bedevilling the power sector. In a recent press conference, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, apologised for the drop in power supply that has disrupted lives and business nationwide. Adelabu stated that Nigeria needs a $100 billion investment to achieve a stable, all-year-round electricity supply.

He also added that the issues are beyond the government's control, but promised that President Tinubu's government is working hard to ensure Nigeria achieves the target of 6,000MW by December 2026.