By Chris Ochayi

The Federal Government has concluded arrangements to expend N2.3trillion on electrification of rural communities, targeting five million homes, under the Economic Sustainability Plan, ESP.

Minister of State for Power, Mr Goddy Jedy-Agba, who disclosed this in Abuja while inaugurating the First 12 Kilo Watts Peak, KWP, Volus Solar for Health, VSFH, Mini-Grid with58 KWH Battery Bank at Karu Primary Health Centre initiated by Volus Energy Ltd, said the rural communities were more willing to pay electricity bills more than their urban counterparts.

He said the Federal Government was giving more attention to rural electrification in the country because of the need to empower those who live in villages and ensure that their small-scale businesses thrived.

He said:  “Recent surveys across some of these rural communities have shown that interestingly, the rural dwellers were more likely to pay their electricity bills without complaining than those in urban areas where power operators are tackling the challenges of energy theft and meter bypass.

“This government is promoting a holistic development agenda and will continue to provide power for under-served communities in Nigeria because this will encourage people who live outside the towns and cities to engage in small businesses and preserve farm produce by processing them.

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“To emphasize the focus government is giving to electrifying rural communities, there are plans under the N2.3 trillion fund for the Economic Sustainability Plan, ESP, being coordinated by Office of the Vice President, to provide Solar Home Systems, SHS, to five million homes across un-served rural communities in Nigeria.

“Businesses will grow up if the rural dwellers have electricity. We have set up a committee to restructure the Federal Ministry of Power and provide in-depth oversight for its agencies. This is to ensure that we step up our game towards delivering on our mandate of providing improved and sustainable power supply to Nigerians, especially, the un-served and underserved communities.

“This is because if you grow these communities, then businesses would spring up, the health sector will perform better, and you know what the result is – improved living conditions.

“This administration is also promoting the mini grid regulation made by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC. For instance, through the Rural Electrification Agency, REA,, several mini-grid projects have been commissioned and more are underway.

“I was honoured to be a part of the momentous achievement of REA and the World Bank in collaboration with the Ministry of Power and the Federal Government of Nigeria. It was an exciting time for me and for the villagers in 2019 when the Rokota community in Niger state which has never known electricity, got a mini grid power plant for the first time.

“Through mini-grids projects, REA aims to provide clean, safe, reliable and affordable electricity to 300,000 homes and 30,000 local businesses.

“The Nigeria Electrification Project, NEP, has turned a new leaf with the commissioning of the first mini-grid under the performance-based grant of REA and the World Bank.

“REA is supporting private developers through performance based grants with support from development partners including the World Bank and the African Development Bank, AfDB, to provide mini-grids and solar home systems across communities towards achieving the access to energy Goal 7 of the Sustainable Energy Goal, SDGs.

“As I said, this administration is promoting Mini-Grids renewable energy to increase access to clean, safe and reliable electricity while accelerating the expansion of the national power grid, but it requires the support of the private sector to attain this in the most desirable way.

“It is in this light that the Office of the Minister of State for Power at the Federal Ministry of Power supported Volsus Energy Limited, a solar and renewable energy start-up firm towards flagging off the first Volsus Solar For Health (VSFH) programme being commissioned here today in Karu, Abuja.”

Vanguard