By Merit Ibe
Aba Power has inaugurated a 10-person taskforce to fast-track the implementation of its mass metering rollout, set to commence next week.
The rollout will see the deployment of 20,000 prepaid meters in April and another 20,000 in May across the Aba Ring-Fenced Area, which covers nine out of the 17 local government areas in Abia State.
The team is led by Alfred Ategie and supporting him are top executives and department heads, including Anthony Ike Alozie, Chief Financial Officer at Geometric Power (Aba Power’s parent company), Ini Uyo, Head of Customer Care, Sam Inengite, Deputy Head of Finance at Geometric Power, Edise Ekong, Senior Manager of Branding and Communication at Aba Power, and Simeon Akpata, Head of the Maintenance Team.
In a statement, Ugo Opiegbe, Managing Director of Aba Power, expressed confidence in the team’s capability and leadership.
Opiegbe further described the taskforce as cross-functional, noting that the composition was intentional to ensure diverse expertise and holistic implementation.
“The project team comprises individuals from various departments of the company who will not only bring their insights into the implementation but also help address existing and emerging challenges,” he noted.
To highlight the company’s commitment to inclusivity and community engagement, Barrister Mike Nwogu, a native of the host community and Aba Power’s Community Relations, Regulatory, and Compliance Manager, is also a member of the team.
On the meter deployment strategy, Opiegbe explained that the process would be executed in phases.
“We are providing meters feeder by feeder, meaning that we provide a meter to every house on a given feeder. Once we conclude on that feeder, we move to the next,” he said.
The broader objective, he revealed, is to meter all of Aba Power’s over 200,000 customers within the next 12 months. Kayz Consortium is responsible for supplying 90,000 of the meters, which will be assembled at the Geometric Power facility in the Osisioma Industrial Layout of Aba.
Other meter vendors engaged in the project include Eves Metering, Chint Metering, and DECSN Metering Ltd.