Aba Power sets up 10-person team to accelerate mass meter deployment

Business a.m.

Aba Power, one of  Nigeria’s 12 electricity distribution companies (DisCos), has established a dedicated, 10-person team to spearhead the swift implementation of its mass prepaid meter rollout, commencing next week.

The Mass Metering Rollout Project, led by Alfred Ategie, Aba Power’s head of metering, aims to deploy 20,000 prepaid meters in April and a further 20,000 in May across the Aba Ring-fenced Area. This region encompasses nine of the 17 local government areas within Abia State.

The project team comprises senior figures from both Aba Power and its parent company, Geometric Power. Key members include Anthony Ike Alozie, Chief Financial Officer at Geometric Power; Ini Uyo, Head of Customer Care; Sam Inengite, Deputy Head of Geometric Power Finance; Edise Ekong, Senior Manager for Branding and Communication at Aba Power; and Simeon Akpata, who leads the utility’s maintenance operations.

Ugo Opiegbe, managing director of Aba Power, emphasised the critical nature of the project and the selection of Ategie to lead it. “Alfred is the best man to lead this project which has to work round the clock to make the prepaid meters available,” Opiegbe stated. He highlighted Ategie’s electrical engineering background and his prior experience in meter installation at Eko DisCo in Lagos.

Opiegbe described the project team as cross-sectional, drawing expertise from various departments to ensure comprehensive oversight and problem-solving. He also underscored the importance of community relations, noting the inclusion of Barrister Mike Nwogu, an indigene of the host community and the company’s Community Relations, Regulatory, and Compliance Manager.

The meter deployment will be conducted on a feeder-by-feeder basis across the nine local government areas served by Aba Power, ensuring a systematic rollout. 

The company stated that its objective is to meter its entire customer base of over 200,000 within the next year. Kayz Consortium is a key meter vendor, supplying 90,000 units that will be assembled at Geometric Power’s premises in the Osisioma Industrial Layout of Aba. Other meter vendors partnering with Aba Power include Eves Metering, Chint Metering, and DECSN Metering Ltd.