By Firdaus Jibril
Nigeria is shifting its focus from simply measuring electricity supply in kilowatts and megawatts to measuring how many communities and people have access to power, the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has said.
Tegbe made the statement in Abuja on Friday while inaugurating the Governing Board of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA).
According to the news reporters, the minister said the agency has a strategic role in expanding electricity access across the country, particularly through initiatives such as mini-grids and solar home systems.
“We are moving from just counting kilowatts and megawatts to how many communities and people were powered in the country,” Tegbe said.
He said every mini-grid inaugurated and solar home system deployed, as well as the electrification of markets, schools, primary healthcare centres, farms and businesses, contributes to economic inclusion and national development.
Tegbe said REA would serve as a link between national power sector policies and their impact at the grassroots, ensuring that the benefits of ongoing electricity reforms reach communities across the country.
He charged the newly inaugurated board to provide strategic direction, strengthen governance, protect public resources and promote partnerships with development partners and the private sector.
The minister urged the board to consider how its decisions would improve the lives and livelihoods of Nigerians.
The seven-member board is chaired by former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose. Other members include Ahmadu Abubakar and Ilyasu Makinta, while REA Managing Director, Abba Aliyu, and three executive directors also form part of the board.
Responding, Fayose thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the appointment and said many of the challenges in Nigeria’s power sector were at the grassroots.
He pledged the board’s commitment to improving electricity access and securing the resources required to implement REA’s programmes.
Fayose also assured Nigerians that the board would work to deliver on the administration’s electricity objectives.
The REA Managing Director, Abba Aliyu, pledged that the agency would continue working to extend electricity to unserved and underserved communities.