The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has released the Final Transfer of Regulatory Authority Order to the Abia State Electricity Regulatory Authority (ASERA) as the statutory regulator for electricity sector activities in the State.

The Chairman and CEO of the Abia State Electricity Regulatory Authority (ASERA), Mr Emeka Onyegbule, who disclosed this to journalists in Umuahia, said the authority to regulate the electricity market in Abia state became effective from December 24, 2025.

He recalled that following the Constitution amendment of 2023, which empowered the States to generate, distribute, and transmit electricity, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission in Abuja gave an interim order permitting the states to go ahead and begin the establishment of the regulatory institution.

“That order from NERC came out on June 24, 2025, and it had a time frame of six months for that transition to happen.

“That transition entails putting in the necessary structures in place, appointing the board, and equipping them to do the work which NERC has been doing. So today is a very significant milestone in the life of ASERA as we have completed the six-month transition as at yesterday.

“So, effectively from today, the responsibility and the mandate to regulate, oversight and manage the Abia State’s electricity markets falls on ASERA and no longer NERC.

“And as I said, it has some very profound impact on what the market stands to benefit. First of all, we expect that by the creation of ASERA, you will bring regulation home to customers.

Contributing, the Commissioner for Power and Public Utilities, Mr Ikechukwu Monday, said that the establishment of the State’s Electricity market remains critical to achieving the Abia 25-Year Development Plan and accelerating industrialisation.

He traced the journey to operationalising the electricity market to March 17, 2025, following Governor Alex Otti’s assent to the Abia State Electricity Law, adding that electricity remains central to economic growth, investment attraction and improved service delivery to consumers across Abia state.

“He explained that the new electricity market had been designed to be world-class, investor-friendly and consumer-focused.

He informed further that ASERA has been empowered to issue metering and billing licenses to encourage private investment in meter deployment, noting that the improved metering would ensure fairness by allowing consumers to pay only for electricity consumed.

Also speaking, the Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kanu, said that the enactment of the Electricity Act of 2025 by the Abia state government made it possible for the progress achieved in the electricity sub-sector.