The Ahiajioku Research Centre, an Imo State government agency dedicated to promoting Igbo civilization, will honour Professor Bart Nnaji, Founder and Chairman of Geometric Power Group, for successfully delivering the $800 million Aba Independent Power Project (Aba IPP).
The recognition will take place on November 27 in Owerri, during the 45th anniversary of the Ahiajioku Lecture Series, which began under Governor Sam Mbakwe’s administration in 1979.
According to the Centre’s Director General, Nze Ray Emeana, the award celebrates Prof. Nnaji’s consistent advocacy for Igbo economic development, highlighted in his 2009 Ahiajioku Lecture and his 2016 Odenigbo Lecture delivered entirely in Igbo. Beyond advocacy, Nnaji demonstrated action by establishing the Aba IPP, which now supplies constant power to nine LGAs in Abia State.
Emeana noted that the recognition aims to inspire a new value system in Igboland and encourage other achievers to emulate Nnaji’s example. The Aba IPP, comprising 188MW Geometric Power Ltd and Aba Power Ltd, remains the largest private investment in the Southeast and has spurred projects such as the Enyimba Economic City.
Prof. Nnaji expressed gratitude to the Imo State government for reviving the annual lecture, which will this year feature Bishop Godfrey Onah of Nsukka as the guest lecturer. He reaffirmed his commitment to national development, urging all regions to focus on progress rather than politics.
He also revealed that Aba’s steel tubular poles are uniquely built to withstand natural disasters, ensuring uninterrupted power for the industrial city.
In a vote of thanks, Professor Goddy Onuoha commended Nnaji’s outstanding record as a former Minister of Power and Minister of Science and Technology, describing him as a leader who “never took no for an answer.”
