Metering: Residents Commend Aba Power Over Regular Electricity Supply, Free Metering

Electricity consumers in Aba, the commercial capital of Abia State, have commended the APL Electric Company for embarking on a free metering exercise of the city as well as ensuring regular power supply in the area. 
Some of the residents who spoke during a customers’ meeting, said what APL Electric Company has done well in terms of free metering and steady power supply, describing the feat as unprecedented in the country.
Speaking, Mr. Nnamdi Nwosu, a landlord and businessman in the Okpumuobo area of Aba, said, “It is how it should be.”
Nwosu credited Aba Power’s free prepaid metering programme and improved supply for easing both household and business pressures.
“Life is better when you know what you are paying for and the light is there. I have uninterrupted power supply, just the way it should be.”
Equally speaking, a lady who lives close to Nicholas Junction, and gave her name as Eunice, described the present electricity supply in the city as novel.
“The light has been constant,” she said. “I had to turn off my freezer because everything was already frozen, and my units were running down fast because of steady supply.”
For Mr. White, a resident of Obuzor community, outages no longer provoke the frustration once common among electricity consumers.
“When there is no light, it doesn’t hurt like before,” he said. “You are not billed for energy you didn’t use. That alone gives one peace of mind. We now pay for the energy we use.”
The Senior Brand and Communication Manager at APL Electric Company, Edise Ekong when contacted said the company’s feat reflected deliberate and sustained investment in infrastructure.
“In 2025 alone, we installed over 100,000 prepaid meters, and all together metred more than 90 per cent of our customer base.
“Our mission is to change the narrative of power distribution in Nigeria, and Aba is demonstrating that it can be done,” he added.
Ekong also addressed concerns raised in December last year when parts of the Aba ring-fenced area experienced power shortages for about four days.
He explained that Aba Power, as a distribution company, relies on embedded generation from Geometric Power Aba Limited. “At the time, there was a national gas crisis that affected our primary power provider,” he said.
“It was beyond distribution. Once gas supply stabilised, power supply was restored. That challenge has since been resolved, and regular supply resumed.”
Ekong noted that following the extensive metering rollout, the company’s focus has shifted to service quality and system integrity.
“Having embarked on such a massive metering drive, our priority now is service improvement and protecting the infrastructure,” he said, and appealed to customers to reject energy theft which he said undermines the system with its corresponding low service delivery.