The Minister of State for Power, Goddy Jedy-Agba, has urged the newly inaugurated Governing Board of Rural Electrification Agency (REA), to ensure more rural communities benefitted from the scheme.
Jedy-Agba gave the charge while inaugurating the board on Thursday in Abuja.
The Board has Abdulazeez Musa Yar’Adua as Chairman, and the Managing Director of REA, Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad, as a member.
Other members of the Board representing the six geopolitical zones include Michael Oluwagbemi (South West); Chidi Nwogu (South East); Mrs Catherine Ajibike (South South); and Dr Abdullahi Garba (North West).
Also on the Board on Ex-Officio capacity are representatives from the Ministries of Power, Finance, Budget and National Planning as well as the Bureau for Public Enterprise (BPE).
Furthermore, Sanusi Ohiare, was re-appointed as the Executive Director Rural Electrification Fund (REF) for another five-year term.
Jedy-Agba said the REA was one of the most visible agencies in the Ministry, and urged the new board to work hard to achieve President Muhammadu Buhari’s vision of lighting up all communities by 3030.
He said: “We expect that at the end of the day, we should have meaningful contributions from you as the President is mindful of your performance before his approval.
“The role of the REA is not new to all us, as it is performing very well and I can proudly and gladly say the Agency has touched at least one community in all the geopolitical zones of the country.
“There is a project to show in the six geopolitical zones, some have two, some have one and some have three,” he said.
Electricity brings progress and more communities will be lighted up and attract more businesses, as power is the engine of industrialisation and development.
Electrifying education project
Jedy-Agba informed that REA also has a programme that touches on education known as the electrifying education project in which nine universities have been electrified and more to go.
“These universities have been provided solar power to help our students study and keep off criminals, so we expect the Board to continue in that direction as well as other programmes of the Agency,” he revealed.
Despite that the board members were appointed on a part-time basis, he said their duty is to ensure the Agency achieved its set targets.
He said the Ministry of Power had adopted a new system of performance targets, adding that the job of the Agency would be reviewed periodically.
He said electricity brings progress and more communities will be lighted up and attract more businesses, as power is the engine of industrialisation and development.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Nebeolisa Anako, said the reconstitution of the Board was one of the milestones toward achieving this administration’s agenda in strengthening the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).
He said REA is key to achieving vision 3030 in the power sector.
Responding on behalf of other Board members, Yar’Adua promised that the team would work with determination and forthrightness to ensure that the President’s objective of providing light to rural communities was achieved.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that REA is the implementing agency of the Federal Government under the Ministry of Power.
REA is currently administering REF and implementing the Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP) and a number of initiatives in line with its mandate.
