The Federal Government has been urged to support the developmental efforts of the Asaba community by making available the 2000 solar street lights requested by it through the Rural Electrification Agency.
The Asagba of Asaba, His Royal Majesty, Prof Epiphany Azinge, SAN, made the call when the Executive Director of the Rural Electrification Agency/Funds, Engr. Doris Uboh; paid him a visit in Abuja.
He imagined the rapid transformation the street lights would bring to Asaba, and expressed the hope that they would be provided, as promised and captured in the 2025 Federal Government budget.
The monarch thanked the Executive Director for the visit, even at a very short notice, describing her as a true daughter of Anioma, who had given a lot of hope to him and the people of Asaba by always reacting positively to the community’s requests.
The Asagba said, “Let me congratulate you on this appointment. It is not often that one can say without equivocation that there’s a round peg in a round hole. The way you articulated your presentation clearly justified your appointment, and you have, no doubt, mastered your craft in a way and manner that inspires and gives a lot of confidence to anyone listening to you that you are on top of your job.
“As a person, yours has been a very dazzling journey of life and no denying the fact that you have reached the easing height of politics to a very large extent. So, I can still relate to the fact that though you are with the Rural Electrification Agency, you are also partially in politics.
“I can attest to the fact that you have given a lot of hope to me and the people of Asaba. You have always reacted positively to my requests and I have no doubt that in the shortest possible time, like you promised, by the time the budget comes around, that our request, if not fully granted, can even be doubled, as the case may be.
“I know that we requested for 2000 solar street lights and that is what we are hoping on, that’s what we are believing that when the time comes will be made available to us, and I can imagine the rapid transformation it will bring to Asaba, and definitely our people will never forget you in a hurry”.
Earlier, Engr Doris Uboh, while thanking the Asagba for the privilege to visit him, said the Rural Electrification Agency was charged with the responsibility of supervising and overseeing the electrification of semi urban and rural communities across the country, championing mostly improved access to renewable energy.
The Executive Director disclosed that the Federal Government was pushing for access to energy to be in the front burner of the Renewed Hope Agenda through the EHEART project, meaning: “Energizing Health, Education, Agriculture, Rural Communities and Transportation” via immobility, which she explained was a one-stop programme that would help rural communities to unlock their potentials, bring them closer and make them inclusively the heart of the country.
*We were able to research and come up with 154,000 communities across the country that have no access or very little access to electricity; we call them unserved or underserved communities. We are starting this project with 100 communities in each state and the FCT, with every state to get 10 megawatts of green energy, which comes to 370 megawatts to be infused to the energy needs of the country.
“That’s what we are doing, and we are talking to the Governors of each state, and so far we have engaged with 24 states, including Delta. They’ve all signed on and by mid March we intend to start rolling out the project; and for the first phase 45 communities will be enjoying electricity solely on solar energy. So, we are coming to Delta.”
