Barth Nnaji, chairman of Geometric Power Group, has attributed the reason he developed the $800m Geometric Power Plant in Aba to Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and the late James Wolfohnson.

He disclosed this at the recently convened leadership colloquium on “Igbo Leadership and Development.”

Nnaji linked the origins of the Aba power plant to the time when the late James Wolfohnson, a former president of the World Bank, was called to Aba by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the former minister of finance for Nigeria, to witness personally the enormous economic and technological potential of Aba.

He said, “After the visit in 2004, the duo asked me to consider building a 50-megawatt power plant in Abia for manufacturers, both big ones like the Star Paper Mill and small ones like the hundreds of excellent shoemakers and clothiers at the famous Ariaria Market.

“They approached me obviously because I had led a small team of dedicated Nigerian engineers and entrepreneurs to build a 22megawatt Emergency Plant in Abuja in 2001 for the supply of electricity to State House, the NNPC headquarters, the Abuja Business District, and other places.

“I acceded to the request by Okonjo-Iweala and Wolfohnson. What the two did not realize was that my enthusiastic acceptance was because the plant would be located in Aba. This city has a special place in the heart and mind of every person interested in our country’s rapid progress: It is the home of indigenous manufacturing, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

Nnaji emphasised his enthusiasm for Nigeria’s quick development, beginning with Ala Igbo, citing the region’s tremendous technological and economic potential and the structural issues it has encountered since the end of the Nigerian Civil War in 1970.

“Geometric Power Limited is making its contribution to help reclaim the old economic days of the Great Zik of Africa, M.I. Okpara, and many others. Once Geometric Power addresses the electricity challenge in nine out of 17 local government areas in Abia State fully, not even the sky will be the limit of the attainments of the people and government of Abia State. Abia can set the stage of development miracle which has been waiting to happen,” he said.

Nnaji also revealed that if the 188-megawatt Geometric Power Plant in Aba and the Aba Power distribution company in Osisioma Industrial Layout had been situated in Ikeja, the Ilupeju Industrial Estate in Lagos State, the Agbara Industrial Layout in Ogun State, or somewhere in the vicinity of the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja, they would have been more profitable ventures.

Nnaji also said, “The return on investment would have been quicker and bigger (in these locations). However, we would have missed the strategic reason for locating both the generation and distribution arms of Geometric Power Group. Only the investors and promoters of Geometric Power would have benefitted directly, but the people and governments of Ala-Igbo would be the losers.”

He stated that his firsthand experience of what industrialists in Igbo land were going through was another reason why he chose to build the plant.

“As a professor of manufacturing engineering in the United States in the 1990s, I decided to build a plant in Emene, Enugu, to produce vehicle spare parts, including engines, of the highest standard in the world. After all, I had watched my former students from Taiwan and other places in Southeast Asia rush home to produce sophisticated auto parts and engines.

“So, we purchased a large swath of land for this purpose, but when my South Korean partners visited Enugu, it became obvious that the project would not take off principally because of poor electricity. While I was thinking of how to help resolve the electricity problem in Ala Igbo, Okonjo-Iweala and Wolfohnson made the request. The rest is history,” Nnaji added.

Nnaji described the journey in the words of Winston Churchill, former British prime minister, “it has since 2004 been tears, sweat, and blood.”

“I don’t want to tell the story of sweat, blood, and tears now; all I can say now is the game is worth the candle. Nothing can give as much fulfillment and satisfaction as working wholeheartedly for your people,” he added.

source: https://businessday.ng/news/article/why-i-located-800m-geometric-power-plant-in-aba-barth-nnaji/

If not that APC members love politics more than their lives, these are the kinds of technocrats that should be made the power minister.

Na for APC government lawyer be power and aviation ministers. Those people don't care about development; they are just after the next election!

Great man

SoNature:
If not that APC members love politics more than their lives, these are the kinds of technocrats that should be made the power minister.

Na for APC government lawyer be power and aviation ministers. Those people don't care about development; they are just after the next election!

You are very right. APC also stopped Olusegun Obasanjo and Yar'Adua from appointing him, and APC also held Goatluck Jonathan down at GUN point to sack the man after Goatluck appointed him.

You need medical examination

Geometric power project is Nigeria’s only integrated power project.
It is Licensed to both generate and distribute electricity

Nigeria has one of the best brain in the world in matters of power, in Prof. Barth nnaji but tribalism , nepotism , useless politicking and stupidity has kept the nation in darkness.

I remember the tremendous increase in power when he was minister. I dont know what he did but i was having 18-20 hours of sure electricity everyday.
I remember his team were always out there in the media interacting with the public on their job.
The very day he left , it didnt take up to 6hrs, power went back to flat.


Nnaji also revealed that if the 188-megawatt Geometric Power Plant in Aba and the Aba Power distribution company in Osisioma Industrial Layout had been situated in Ikeja, the Ilupeju Industrial Estate in Lagos State, the Agbara Industrial Layout in Ogun State, or somewhere in the vicinity of the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja, they would have been more profitable ventures.

“The return on investment would have been quicker and bigger (in these locations)

Nothing can give as much fulfillment and satisfaction as working wholeheartedly for your people,” he added.

End of story.

SoNature:
If not that APC members love politics more than their lives, these are the kinds of technocrats that should be made the power minister.

Na for APC government lawyer be power and aviation ministers. Those people don't care about development; they are just after the next election!

Band of robbers who are experts in propagandas, next election , their pockets, their girl friends and all sorts of useless things that benefits just themselves and cronies.

If not the manner in which we put out the people behind tbe project, tinubu online warriors were already gaslighthing the public and looking for a way to say tinubu did it just as they fool themselves with tinubu built lagos.

naija4life247:


You are very right. APC also stopped Olusegun Obasanjo and Yar'Adua from appointing him, and APC also held Goatluck Jonathan down at GUN point to sack the man after Goatluck appointed him.

You need medical examination

Stop justifying stupidity!

The smartest Nigerians who were brought back to Nigeria to serve happened under the PDP.

On the other hand, APC is an Association of Past Crooks who hire fellow criminals to loot the resources of this country. That's why Nigeria fared better under PDP than APC.

You can argue from now to the end of the world, but you don't need a mirror to see a wristband.

SoNature:

Barth Nnaji, chairman of Geometric Power Group, has attributed the reason he developed the $800m Geometric Power Plant in Aba to Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and the late James Wolfohnson.

He disclosed this at the recently convened leadership colloquium on “Igbo Leadership and Development.”

Nnaji linked the origins of the Aba power plant to the time when the late James Wolfohnson, a former president of the World Bank, was called to Aba by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the former minister of finance for Nigeria, to witness personally the enormous economic and technological potential of Aba.

He said, “After the visit in 2004, the duo asked me to consider building a 50-megawatt power plant in Abia for manufacturers, both big ones like the Star Paper Mill and small ones like the hundreds of excellent shoemakers and clothiers at the famous Ariaria Market.

“They approached me obviously because I had led a small team of dedicated Nigerian engineers and entrepreneurs to build a 22megawatt Emergency Plant in Abuja in 2001 for the supply of electricity to State House, the NNPC headquarters, the Abuja Business District, and other places.

“I acceded to the request by Okonjo-Iweala and Wolfohnson. What the two did not realize was that my enthusiastic acceptance was because the plant would be located in Aba. This city has a special place in the heart and mind of every person interested in our country’s rapid progress: It is the home of indigenous manufacturing, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

Nnaji emphasised his enthusiasm for Nigeria’s quick development, beginning with Ala Igbo, citing the region’s tremendous technological and economic potential and the structural issues it has encountered since the end of the Nigerian Civil War in 1970.

“Geometric Power Limited is making its contribution to help reclaim the old economic days of the Great Zik of Africa, M.I. Okpara, and many others. Once Geometric Power addresses the electricity challenge in nine out of 17 local government areas in Abia State fully, not even the sky will be the limit of the attainments of the people and government of Abia State. Abia can set the stage of development miracle which has been waiting to happen,” he said.

Nnaji also revealed that if the 188-megawatt Geometric Power Plant in Aba and the Aba Power distribution company in Osisioma Industrial Layout had been situated in Ikeja, the Ilupeju Industrial Estate in Lagos State, the Agbara Industrial Layout in Ogun State, or somewhere in the vicinity of the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja, they would have been more profitable ventures.

Nnaji also said, “The return on investment would have been quicker and bigger (in these locations). However, we would have missed the strategic reason for locating both the generation and distribution arms of Geometric Power Group. Only the investors and promoters of Geometric Power would have benefitted directly, but the people and governments of Ala-Igbo would be the losers.”

He stated that his firsthand experience of what industrialists in Igbo land were going through was another reason why he chose to build the plant.

“As a professor of manufacturing engineering in the United States in the 1990s, I decided to build a plant in Emene, Enugu, to produce vehicle spare parts, including engines, of the highest standard in the world. After all, I had watched my former students from Taiwan and other places in Southeast Asia rush home to produce sophisticated auto parts and engines.

“So, we purchased a large swath of land for this purpose, but when my South Korean partners visited Enugu, it became obvious that the project would not take off principally because of poor electricity. While I was thinking of how to help resolve the electricity problem in Ala Igbo, Okonjo-Iweala and Wolfohnson made the request. The rest is history,” Nnaji added.

Nnaji described the journey in the words of Winston Churchill, former British prime minister, “it has since 2004 been tears, sweat, and blood.”

“I don’t want to tell the story of sweat, blood, and tears now; all I can say now is the game is worth the candle. Nothing can give as much fulfillment and satisfaction as working wholeheartedly for your people,” he added.

source: https://businessday.ng/news/article/why-i-located-800m-geometric-power-plant-in-aba-barth-nnaji/

Great mind

One of the truly visionary projects of value around. I rate this above Dangote refinery in terms of public impact.
And even more compared to other flashy project by the Lagos crew that barely improves the productivity of the average Lagosians.

Barth Nnaji should stop lying. Alex Otti started and completed the project within 6 months. Peter Obi would have even done 6 of similar project within six months in all the thirty six states if he was the president.

If you believe the nonsense above, you must definitely be an Obidient 🤣🤣🤣

seunmsg:
Barth Nnaji should stop lying. Alex Otti started and completed the project within 6 months. Peter Obi would have even done 6 of similar project within six months in all the thirty six states if he was the president.

If the believe the nonsense above, you must definitely be an Obidient 🤣🤣🤣

😂😂😂

SoNature:
If not that APC members love politics more than their lives, these are the kinds of technocrats that should be made the power minister.

Na for APC government lawyer be power and aviation ministers. Those people don't care about development; they are just after the next election!

Wasn't it PDP that kicked this same man out of government?

SoNature:
If not that APC members love politics more than their lives, these are the kinds of technocrats that should be made the power minister.

Na for APC government lawyer be power and aviation ministers. Those people don't care about development; they are just after the next election!

Funny enough, Barth Nnaji was minister of power during the Goodluck Jonathan administration. He was forced out of office for corruption and conflict of interest in the privation process.

seunmsg:
Barth Nnaji should stop lying. Alex Otti started and completed the project within 6 months. Peter Obi would have even done 6 of similar project within six months in all the thirty six states if he was the president.

If the believe the nonsense above, you must definitely be an Obidient 🤣🤣🤣

This project is 10 times more impacting to the commoners around than what we are used to elsewhere.
We are talking productivity here and not just aesthetics to justify looting margin.

Abeg, the way people hype this project, how is it different from all the IPPs all over Nigeria?

Would Barth Nnaji's company be replacing all the feeders (distribution, transformers, e.t.c) because that's where alot of the power failure happen. Would people be forced to pay power bills especially those that consume alot e.g. the welders and other people that draw alot of current?

I know this particular one has been in the pipeline since the days of Yar'Adua.

seunmsg:


Funny enough, Barth Nnaji was minister of power during the Goodluck Jonathan administration. He was forced out of office for corruption and conflict of interest in the privation process.

Corruption? That's a big lie!

Conflict of interest? Yes!

Dude was already building power stations all over the place before he was made power minister. Afterwards, he was asked to step aside during privatisation because he cannot set the examination and still participate in it.

However, the time he was power minister, Nigerians experienced a significant improvement in power supply. No, I don't expect you to admit this because you are a typical APC glutton who will write or say anything to defend these crooks in power!

Under APC, national grid dey collapse like say tomorrow no dey! APC is a curse to Nigeria!

Oke osisi igbo!!! If you didn't grow up in aba, you will never understand that raw gold that the orjis and the erectus devoured but it's resilience n ingenuity is something that you can't equate anywhere in the world. Aba the city of hustlers!!! Make i break down our doings

Powerline n bakassi= footwears that you can imagine

Portharcourt road down to ala orji= heavy duty engines, the best auto technicians. Engine awka of blessed memory was invented here, i mean our own tricycle. Any agricultural equipment you can conceive will be manifested here, no capping

Ehi rd,school rd, Clifford rd and it's environment = designers hub, i mean the best in the world.

Abala= i no go talk wetin dey happen there but na still indigenous tech.

SoNature:
If not that APC members love politics .......

It is irresponsible to not recognise that it wasn't APC members that elected the leaders, but Nigerians with pvcs.

https://www.nairaland.com/8013457/nigerias-economic-situation-way-out#128662494

CodeTemplar:
This project is 10 times more impacting to the commoners around than what we are used to elsewhere.
We are talking productivity here and not just aesthetics to justify looting margin.

Please let us enjoy this goody codedly, people are envious of this great fit.
This is the mother of all development !!! Companies will crawl begging, if you're in real estate just relocate to where e dey happen.

So Igboman is even powering their State House?

This country is nothing without an Igboman.

FACT

seunmsg:
Barth Nnaji should stop lying. Alex Otti started and completed the project within 6 months. Peter Obi would have even done 6 of similar project within six months in all the thirty six states if he was the president.

If the believe the nonsense above, you must definitely be an Obidient 🤣🤣🤣

You must be a comedian

CodeTemplar:
This project is 10 times more impacting to the commoners around than what we are used to elsewhere.
We are talking productivity here and not just aesthetics to justify looting margin.

Just tell Barth to stop stealing Alex Otti’s project. Alex Otti started the project and completed it within 6 months. Barth should stop claiming ownership. - Obidients.

Slytiger:

Wasn't it PDP that kicked this same man out of government?

He resigned because of this project

Slytiger:
Abeg, the way people hype this project, how is it different from all the IPPs all over Nigeria?

Would Barth Nnaji's company be replacing all the feeders (distribution, transformers, e.t.c) because that's where alot of the power failure happen. Would people be forced to pay power bills especially those that consume alot e.g. the welders and other people that draw alot of current?

I know this particular one has been in the pipeline since the days of Yar'Adua.

It's the only integrated power project in Nigeria.

It generates it's electricity

Transmits

Distributes

seunmsg:


Just tell Barth to stop stealing Alex Otti’s project. Alex Otti started the project and completed it within 6 months. Barth should stop clauking ownership. - Obidients.

Same way Oluomo built Lagos Atlantic city but the APC guys are taking credits?

SoNature:
If not that APC members love politics more than their lives, these are the kinds of technocrats that should be made the power minister.

Na for APC government lawyer be power and aviation ministers. Those people don't care about development; they are just after the next election!

What happened when pdp made him a minister,he was removed not because he wasn't good but the cabal had their ways

SoNature:


Stop justifying stupidity!

The smartest Nigerians who were brought back to Nigeria to serve happened under the PDP.

On the other hand, APC is an Association of Past Crooks who hire fellow criminals to loot the resources of this country. That's why Nigeria fared better under PDP than APC.

You can argue from now to the end of the world, but you don't need a mirror to see a wristband.

Was it APC that made Jonathan sack him as Minister of power?

And you read how many decades it required for this single project to finally be completed?

After Enyimba city, next will be Onitsha and Nnewi.

Someone spent millions of dollars to get Enron to do similar thing in Lagos. At the end, Lagos state lost millions in dollars, and there was no electricity from Enron.

Guess who was in charge in Lagos then? Of course, Mr. Tinubu was then the governor of Lagos state when Enron's power scandal hit Lagos state.

seunmsg:
Barth Nnaji should stop lying. Alex Otti started and completed the project within 6 months. Peter Obi would have even done 6 of similar project within six months in all the thirty six states if he was the president.

If the believe the nonsense above, you must definitely be an Obidient 🤣🤣🤣

😆😆😆😆😆😆😆Kadoso Mutairu! I said I should join you in the merriment. It's a rare occasion to see borbor Kadoso in such a jovial mood. Ahah! You remember us today on nairaland. We were all beginning to get worried that Gumi's boys might have nabbed you. With those salaries that just landed, who knows what those Fulani vermins would do to get their own share. Now, we know you're still intact. So my offer is still up. 200k bag of rice.😉 How many bags should I supply.