Fayose inaugurated as chairman of Rural Electrification Agency

Former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has been inaugurated as the Chairman of the Governing Board of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) by President Bola Tinubu, alongside three other members and non-executive directors. The official inauguration took place in Abuja on Friday, as disclosed in a statement by the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe.

Fayose expressed his gratitude to President Tinubu for the appointment and emphasized his commitment to elevating the agency's status and ensuring its programs receive the necessary funding. He pledged to prioritize providing political will and securing resources to implement the agency's short- and long-term plans, aiming to expand electricity access nationwide.

Fayose noted that the agency's mission extends beyond merely supplying electricity to communities, stressing the importance of ensuring that the benefits of electricity reach the wider population. He also highlighted the agency's role in fostering economic development, education, healthcare, and agriculture. The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, emphasized that Nigeria's electricity sector must transition from merely measuring power generation to measuring the number of communities and people benefiting from electricity.

He described the REA as a strategic institution within the country's power sector architecture and emphasized the agency's crucial role in ensuring that the benefits of power reforms are felt across the federation, not just in major cities. The Managing Director of the REA, Abba Aliyu, also welcomed President Tinubu's decision and pledged the agency's dedication to expanding electricity access to underserved and unserved communities through its various rural and off-grid electrification programs.