By Chris Ochayi

ABUJA— Eleven months after President Goodluck Jonathan flagged off the nationwide solar-powered off-grid rural electrification programme, tagged ‘Operation Light Up Rural Nigeria, OLRN, the project was yet to take off.

The off-grid project was the initiative of the Federal Ministry of Power to provide electricity to three rural communities in each of the senatorial district across the country.

The pilot scheme located in Durumi village, Mpape, of Bwari Area Council in Abuja, was commissioned by President Goodluck Jonathan on January 13, 2014, where he formally flagged off the nationwide solar-powered off-grid rural electrification programme.

The ministry partnered with Schneider Electric of France and Phillips Electronics of The Netherlands for the Durumi project to deliver electricity to over 1,000 households.

However, the first of the project that was expected to cover over 109 other communities across the 36 states of the federation, could not take-off.

Jonathan while flagging off the OLRN said over 1,600 households would be fully connected to solar power in this first phase of OLRN in three communities in Abuja, assuring further that, “it is however not an alternative to grid connection in all our communities which we hope will be achieved in the near future.”

Speaking at the ceremony, Minister of Power, Professor Chinedu Nebo said the Operation Light-Up Rural Nigeria was conceived as a fast-track mechanism to deliver electricity to thousands of rural communities in Nigeria that are not yet connected to the national grid.

He said the facility would be extended to those communities so far flung from the national grid that the challenges of delivery of electricity to them will remain daunting for quite a while.

Painting a bright picture of what each covered community would look like, Professor Nebo said the communities would be provided with a community energy hub equipped with enough power outlets for charging of electronic devices and refrigeration of perishables, while every house is furnished with several energy-saving bulbs of the light-emitting-diode species, as well as charging points for electronic devices and energy saving fans.

The surrounding of every household would be well lit, street and pathway lights would cover the entire community, such that there is no dark corner in the community. The community centre will also be well lit to enhance socio-cultural and economic activities.

The project which was expected to kick off immediately, however, remained on the drawing board 11 months after the President launched the pilot scheme.

Ministry officials who were expected to offer explanation as to why the project has failed were evasive as they were not ready to talk.

Efforts to also reach the Project Co-ordinator and Senior Special Assistant to the Minister of Power, Dr. Albert Okorogu, however, proved abortive as he could not be reached at press time.