Nigeria’s electricity sector witnessed a major milestone last week as Geometric Power, an integrated electricity company, commenced work on the 42-kilometre New Ukwa 33KV Line.
The announcement generated significant public interest, largely due to the project’s remarkable efficiency—costing just N1.8 billion, a fraction of what similar projects demand. Even more striking is its ambitious timeline, with completion expected within 90 days, a testament to Geometric Power’s dedication to delivering swift and cost-effective infrastructure.
What remains unknown to many Nigerians, however, is that this is a vendor-financed project. Geometric Power’s Chief Finance Officer, Anthony Ike Alozie, describes it as a mark of “growing investor confidence in Geometric Power despite the crisis of values in the country.”
The project’s financing comes from Divine Point Investment Ltd, a respected yet relatively low-profile player in Nigeria’s electricity sector, which will recoup its investment in due course.
“We believe in the Geometric Power vision of developing all parts of Nigeria with resources available in every area,” Augustine Osita Onyejekwe, Chairman of Divine Point Ltd, told journalists in Aba a week after the flag-off.
He continued: “Geometric Power is using the immense natural gas in Owaza, Ukwa West Local Government Area of Abia State, to provide electricity to communities, households, religious bodies, industries, and organizations like hospitals, laboratories, universities, and other educational institutions to drive rapid socio-economic progress in nine of the 17 LGAs in the state it services.”
Aba, long recognised as Nigeria’s manufacturing heartland, has suffered decades of de-industrialization as multinational companies, including Guinness Breweries, withdrew operations—largely due to unreliable power supply.
The persistent crisis drew the attention of the then World Bank President, James Wolfensohn, and Nigeria’s former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who, during a visit to Aba on March 6, 2004, urged Geometric Power’s Chairman, Professor Bart Nnaji, to establish a gas-fired power plant to support the region’s industrial sector.
Onyejekwe stresses that Aba’s economic significance extends beyond regional boundaries. “When multinationals like PZ and Nigerian Breweries manufacture in Aba, also known as Enyimba City, their products are consumed all over Nigeria. Employees, suppliers, consultants, and distributors of these firms are from all over the country,” he remarked.
Onyejekwe commended Geometric Power’s strategic decision to construct the New Ukwa 33KV Line, citing the presence of key institutions and businesses along the Port Harcourt Expressway, which runs through Ukwa. These include Oilserv—Nigeria’s leading oil and gas pipeline construction firm—the Nigerian-British University, and Blue World Pharmacy, which is set to begin manufacturing medicines to World Health Organization (WHO) standards.
With Port Harcourt, Nigeria’s oil and gas hub, becoming increasingly congested, many firms are relocating to Abia State. This shift has been further encouraged by the recent improvements in infrastructure, including stable electricity and better road networks.
“It is farsighted for Geometric Power,” Onyejekwe noted, “to build the new line dedicated to businesses in the industrial area so they will stop sharing electricity with the host community, with all the challenges that come with it.”
He added, “Which socially responsible company wouldn’t be happy with this development? We are delighted that, after a thorough analysis of our capabilities and accomplishments, Geometric Power chose our firm over its peers to partner with as the vendor financier.”
As the CEO of Divine Point Investment Ltd, Onyejekwe takes pride in his firm’s achievements, particularly in pioneering Nigeria’s first indigenous construction of three 33KV feeders within a single location.
“We not only built the three feeders spanning 15KM in the Redemption Camp in Ogun State, developed by the Redeemed Christian Church of God, but also designed them. Geometric Power must have been impressed by this achievement while assessing our capabilities.
“Besides, we had earlier constructed power lines and provided distribution transformers in Ogbomosho, Oyo State, and Ilorin, Kwara State—both within the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) coverage area. We have also carried out similar projects in Orsu and Mbano LGAs in Imo State, serviced by the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC). That’s why we met Geometric Power’s rigorous standards and tests.”
“We won’t ask for contract variation, as happens with many Nigerian government projects. We will deliver on time and within budget,” he affirmed.