Electricity Returns to Abia Community After 23 Years
By Naija Enquirer Staff
Electricity has been restored to Bende Federal Constituency in Abia State after 23 years, following the commissioning of a rehabilitated power line that reconnects the communities to Nigeria’s national grid.
The project was commissioned on Tuesday by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, restoring electricity supply to Uzuakoli and Ozuitem, two major towns that have depended on generators and solar alternatives since 2002.
The prolonged absence of grid power had severely constrained economic activities and local enterprise across the constituency.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony, Kalu described the reconnection as a major turning point for economic revival in Bende, noting that several past interventions had failed to restore power to the area.
“We thank God for this worthy development. Darkness has vanished in Bende,” Kalu said.
“In the last 24 years, it’s been either solar or a generator. I have tried in the past to make this happen, unfortunately it failed. This time, I insisted it must work, even though it cost us so much,” he added.
The Deputy Speaker said the return of grid electricity would significantly reduce energy costs for households and businesses, creating opportunities for growth in local manufacturing, agro-processing and service-oriented enterprises.
“This will revive small-scale businesses in Bende. Cottage industries and factories will also spring up,” he said.
Kalu stressed that reliable electricity remains central to job creation and economic competitiveness, urging residents to view the project as a shared asset that must be protected.
“This infrastructure belongs to the people. Vandalism will not be tolerated,” he warned.
He called on traditional rulers, Presidents-General of autonomous communities and youths to establish local vigilante arrangements to safeguard the power facilities and ensure uninterrupted electricity supply.
The restoration of electricity is expected to improve living standards, attract private investment and reposition Bende as a viable destination for small and medium-scale industrial activities, ending more than two decades of energy deprivation that stifled economic development in the area.
