Shettima urges REA to enhance electricity access

By Oluwapelumi Oluwayemi

Vice-President Kashim Shettima has called on the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to intensify its efforts to improve electricity access nationwide.

Shettima made this request during a presentation by REA’s Managing Director, Abba Aliyu, on the National Electrification and Implementation Plan (NESIP) at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Friday.

He approved REA’s proposal to collaborate with the National Economic Council (NEC) to work with state governors to support the electrification of communities across Nigeria.

As NEC Chairman, Shettima pledged full backing from the council and the governors.

He emphasized the crucial link between electricity access and financial inclusion and expressed commitment to partnering with the agency to meet Nigerians’ electricity needs.

While praising the REA’s efforts, Shettima criticized the agency’s publicity efforts, noting a lack of awareness among Nigerians about ongoing initiatives.

He urged the agency to revamp its Public Relations team to enhance visibility in both social and traditional media.

” I am afraid you need to overhaul your Public Relations management team. People need to know, Nigerians ought to know

“At one point in time, we were getting five megawatts from the grid for Borno State.

” Just one plant is generating 12 megawatts for the University of Maiduguri and the Teaching Hospital.

” But you have not been publicising your activities. So, I will ask you to look at your media team and see to it that you get the loudest decibel in the social media space and the traditional media”, he said.

Shettima asked the management of REA to engage the Special Adviser to the President on NEC and Climate Change, Rukaiya El-Rufai, in order to make a formal presentation in one of  the NEC meetings.

This, he said, was necessary “so that the governors too, who are very essential in our drive towards electrifying our communities, can have a buy-in from your submissions.”

Earlier, Aliyu, listed four main sources of funding for the agency, namely the World Bank, the African Development Bank (AfDB), and Electricity Market.

He noted that before his appointment as the Managing Director of REA, he was heading the project management unit that was implementing a 550 million dollar REA project funded by the World Bank and AfDB.

The REA boss  said the agency succeeded in securing another approval for another grant of 750 million dollars, explaining that the biggest public sector-funded project and implementation was about to commence.

He notted some of the electricity projects to include the 12 megawatts plant in Maiduguri, which will be completed and commissioned in the next two months.

Aliyu added that the electricity project was serving the University of Maiduguri and the Teaching Hospital and plans were ongoing to extend it to the water treatment plant in the state.

He further noted that the new management of the agency was focusing on six key strategic areas, including the National Electrification and Strategic Implementation Plan (NESIP).

According to him, the plan aligns with the government’s vision of  sustainable and inclusive energy and electrification across the country.