By Ogaga Ariemu
The Minister of State Power, Goddy Jedy Agba said Rural Electrification Agency’s projects implementation nationwide is the solution to Nigeria’s electricity gap.
Agba was speaking at the agency’s Management and Board Retreat 2023 in Abuja on Thursday.
He stated that the agency’s efforts in electrifying rural communities has started yielding laudable results.
“The REA is a fundamental Agency in the power sector. As such, the Federal Government is confident that the projects implemented through the Agency will go a long way in closing the energy gap and enlivening previously unserved and underserved Nigerian.
“Renewable energy is the solution to bridge the electricity gap in the nation quickly, which is why we plan to continue to optimise it while drawing in quality investments and private sector participation in the space.
“This administration’s efforts to improve energy access through on – and off-grid electrification solutions are commendable. We must not lose sight of Vision 30:30:30, aimed at raising the generation capacity to 30,000MW by 2030, of which 30 per cent will be from renewable sources,” he stated.
On his part, the Managing Director/CEO of REA, Engr Ahmad Salihijo said the agency would continue to implement projects to ensure that most Nigerians in the rural, underserved, unserved communities are electrified.
Salihijo tasked staff to build on the successes recorded in moving the agency and the Nigerian power sector forward.
“We have done very well in our mandate, what you see here today is an attempt to institutionalise our processes.
“REA is already on the trajectory of impacting the Nigeria’s power sector especially the renewable energy sector.
“2017 is the first time that we got funding into the Rural Electrification Fund, we have been trying to improve on the feats we’ve achieved so far,” he said.
The event unveiled the agency the opportunity to assess its performance in recent years.