ASERA Holds Public Consultation as Abia Lays Foundation For World-class Electricity Market

As part of efforts to carry industry players along in the building of a world-class, customer-focused Abia Electricity Market, the Abia State Electricity Regulatory Authority has organized a public consultation for all stakeholders in Umuahia, where it presented its Draft Regulations.

When the six key draft regulations are finally agreed on and signed off by the authority, the document would become a guiding law for all industry players.

Addressing the forum, Commissioner for Power and Public Utilities, Mr. Ikechukwu Monday, said the Governor Alex Otti-led administration was placing much premium on building an electricity market because reliable power supply “was a primary and critical enabler” of “socio-economic development.”

Monday noted that the event shows the transparency of the government in building the Abia electricity market, adding that Governor Alex Otti has tasked ASERA to build a world-class electricity market that works for Abia people.

“We are building a market that everybody will be a key player. And like they say, the customer is king. So it’s not just the key players, but the customer is a very critical stakeholder,” Monday said.

Explaining the importance of the public consultation, the Commissioner highlighted the need to have the input of the stakeholders into the draft regulations before they are adopted as laws.

“We really want to get feedback from the customers and get their input, including the players in this market as we go. And as the market evolves, we expect that more players will come into the market.

He commended ASERA for the significant work they have done in developing the draft regulations and for adopting a transparent approach to stakeholders’ consultation. He thanked the Governor for providing the needed support to the authority in ensuring that players that could participate in the market provide the needed service to Abians.

He therefore urged the stakeholders to “to continue engaging constructively and to provide practical recommendations that will assist ASERA in finalizing a robust and responsive regulatory framework for the benefit of all electricity consumers and market participants in Abia State.”

In his opening remarks, Chairman of ASERA, Emeka Onyegbule, said without getting input from critical partners, the regulations may not succeed.

“So this gathering, this consultation reflects our commitment to participatory and stakeholder-driven regulation. In other words, we can’t make regulations without people making inputs into them. We do recognize that effective regulation must benefit from the practical insight and contribution of our operators, investors, consumers, professional bodies, society organizations, and other stakeholders,” he said.

“I warmly extend our welcome to this day where we look at the consultation draft regulatory instruments for the Abia State’s electricity market. What do we mean by draft regulatory instruments? These are the laws that will guide the operation of the market. It’s like when you’re building a house, you need to put in place a very solid foundation.

“The instruments that are presented today are designed to provide a clarity on licensing, on market operations, on consumer protection, on compliance and regulatory oversight and check impunity by any player.

“After these draft regulations are finally agreed on and the authority signs it off, it becomes a guiding law to the operators, to the service providers, and also to the customers. So that is why it is very important that this draft regulatory instrument is brought to the knowledge of the public so that you know your responsibilities and duties,” he said

According to him, the public consultation marks a very significant milestone in the implementation of the Electricity Bill, Electricity Act 2023, and the Abia State’s Electricity Law 2025.

He promised that as a statutory regulator of the Abia State’s electricity market, ASERA would be committed to building a transparent, efficient, investor-friendly, and customer-focused electricity sector capable of supporting the economic growth aspirations of Abians and improve service delivery across the state.

Chairman of ASERA Advisory Council, Dr. Sam Amadi, stressed that the regulations should be built on effective engagement, inspiring customers’ confidence in the credibility and legitimacy of regulatory decisions and ensuring speedy and fair resolution of consumers’ complaints, describing them as three indicators of effective stakeholder engagement for efficient electricity markets.

In his goodwill message, the Lead Consultant, Power, for Nigeria Governors’ Forum; and Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of New Hampshire Capital, Mr. Odion Omonfoman, said ensuring that market regulations are pressure-tested by the public and licensees guarantees long-term success.

“So, as the country navigates the complex transition towards state-managed electricity markets, the rules of the game cannot be written in a vacuum. They must be shaped by consumers, investors, and the communities that the rules are supposed to serve. Today’s event sets a standard for public scrutiny, transparency, and inclusive governance in the nascent Abia State electricity market,” the Consultant said.

The Federal Commissioner, Public Complaints Commission in charge of Abia State, Dr. Madukwe Ukaegbu, in his contribution, said the regulations must be just and implementable, while such regulations and other laws must be made known to customers always, adding that all consumers must have access to pre-paid metres.

The forum featured question-and-answer sessions.