Federal government has declared that moving forward in its rural electrification project would be anchored on deploying the abundant renewable energy sources in the country.
This disclosure was made by the Minister of State for Power, Mohammed Wakil, at the meeting of the board of directors of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA).
He said part of the reasons behind government resolve to deploy renewable energy was due its sustainability and environmental friendliness.
He said the new approach would involve a mix of wind, solar, biomass, hydro energy alongside the conventional source of power supply.
He also said with the completion of the privatization process it had become imperative for the government to redirect its attention on rural areas where close to 70% populace resides.
“Now that privatization is completed and we are addressing the teething problems, associated with past-privatization, the administration is determined to focus on rural areas where we have close to seventy percent of our people.
“As most of these areas are not connected to the national grid, renewable energy provides an alternative and this is what we have started doing. We have to provide for the majority of our people in the rural areas, in this regard, hence our focus on rural electrification through renewable energy.
“The Rural Electrification Agency is going to play crucial roles in this new focus and that is why it has to be repositioned to meet the aspirations of Mr. President and Nigerians in general,’’ he said.
Describing the choice of renewable energy as a global trend in energy provision, Wakil recalled that a recent United Nations’ Conference adopted this line of thought as a way of empowering the under-served and under-empowered areas of the world while saving the environment for the future generation.
Responding on behalf of the board, its chairman, Sen. Jonathan Zwingina, commended government decisions to strengthen the agency to meet challenges of rural electrification through renewable energy sources.
He said the board and the management of the agency were united in realizing the mandate of the agency under the supervision of the ministry.
He further commended the government for the initiatives designed to strengthen the operational efficiency of the agency.
“We promise to stand by the direction and goals of Mr. President as listed out by the minister. We share the vision of powering our rural areas through a mixture of conventional and renewable energy. We will re-rededicate ourselves to the realization of this laudable agenda,’’ he said.