The Abia State House of Assembly has expressed concern over the prolonged power outage that has left Aba and several neighbouring local government areas without electricity for six days.

The blackout, which Aba Power Limited attributed to challenges with gas supply, has disrupted activities across the commercial city, affecting households, artisans, and the manufacturing sector.

In response to the situation, the Chairman of the House Committee on Power and Public Utilities, Aaron Uzodike, alongside committee member Stephen Ucheonye, visited the headquarters of Aba Power Limited in Aba to obtain firsthand information on the cause of the outage.

The lawmakers said they were deeply concerned about the impact of the prolonged blackout on residents, businesses, and industries, noting that the visit formed part of the Assembly's oversight responsibility to understand the factors behind the electricity disruption.

Addressing the delegation, the Chairman of Aba Power Limited, Professor Barth Nnaji, and members of the company's management explained that the outage resulted from the inability of the firm's gas supplier to provide gas after critical equipment, including a switchgear and a starter motor, was damaged during operations.

Professor Nnaji appealed to electricity consumers in Aba to remain patient while efforts are being made to resolve the problem. He expressed regret over the inconvenience caused and assured residents that electricity supply would be restored once gas delivery resumes.

Reacting to the explanation, Uzodike said the House Committee would continue to monitor the situation to ensure that power is restored as quickly as possible.

He stressed that reliable electricity is essential for economic growth, noting that industries cannot operate efficiently, businesses cannot expand, and artisans cannot thrive under persistent power shortages.