Residents of Ohafia Local Government Area may finally be on the verge of celebrating the return of electricity after nearly a decade of total blackout, as the Light Up Ohafia Project has reportedly crossed 75 percent completion, with full power restoration targeted for the end of July 2026.

This development followed an inspection visit to the Ohafia substation located at Timber Shade, Ebem Ohafia, where the Member representing Arochukwu/Ohafia Federal Constituency, Hon. Ibe Okwara Osonwa, joined the Abia State Commissioner for Power and Public Utilities, Engr. Ikechukwu Monday, to assess the progress of work.

According to findings from the inspection, major milestones have already been achieved on the project. Cables have been successfully drawn through Ihechiowa to the substation, the technical audit has been completed, while aging and faulty components have been identified for replacement.

Sources familiar with the project noted that the most demanding technical work has largely been completed, signaling that the restoration of electricity to Ohafia is entering its final phase.

For more than eight years, Ohafia Local Government Area endured complete darkness, a situation that reportedly crippled businesses, weakened the local economy, and contributed to youth migration as economic opportunities dwindled.

Throughout the prolonged power crisis, Hon. Ibe Okwara Osonwa was said to have sustained efforts aimed at addressing the electricity challenge rather than asking residents to remain patient.

His interventions included raising the matter on the floor of the House of Representatives, initiating a reconciliation process involving the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) through the House Committee on Public Petitions, and mounting consistent pressure on the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) over the issue.

In addition to legislative and regulatory engagement, the federal lawmaker also facilitated solar streetlight installations in fifteen markets across Arochukwu and Ohafia Local Government Areas to ensure traders and market women were not left in complete darkness during the blackout period.

Hon. Osonwa is also credited with providing Amoba Village with its first-ever dedicated transformer, described as a historic intervention for the community.

Observers say these interventions represent deliberate efforts to cushion the hardship caused by the prolonged blackout while broader solutions were being pursued.

The progress recorded on the Light Up Ohafia Project has also been linked to what supporters describe as a productive partnership between Hon. Ibe Okwara Osonwa and the Deputy Governor of Abia State, Engr. Ikechukwu Emetu, whose advocacy and groundwork reportedly laid the foundation for the intervention.

Governor Alex Otti had subsequently adopted the mission, committed state resources to the initiative, and accelerated efforts toward restoring electricity to Ohafia.

With the project now standing at 75 percent completion and restoration projected within weeks, residents are hopeful that an era of darkness that lasted more than eight years may soon become history.

The development is being described by stakeholders as an example of representation driven by sustained advocacy, partnership, and tangible results.