As part of ongoing efforts to help less privileged Nigerians cope with the removal of fuel subsidies, the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has provided free solar power to the Makoko rural community in Lagos State.
The agency’s CEO, Salihijo Ahmad, visited various homes in the community to oversee the deployment of the Makoko Solar Home System (SHS), which is a project aligned with the Federal Government’s National Poverty Reduction and Growth Strategy.
Ahmad and his management team also visited Osogbo and Ijebu Ode earlier as part of their tour of the South West region.
The purpose of these visits is to assess the impact of the projects implemented so far. Ongoing stakeholder engagement with state governments, community groups, and end-users will continue, and all feedback received will be taken into consideration.
The Rural Electrification Agency’s primary role is to provide electricity access to areas that are underserved or unserved.
In the case of Makoko, the agency sees its involvement as a social service aimed at addressing the community’s environmental and economic challenges.
The decentralized approach taken for electrifying communities like Makoko is proving to be the right approach, considering the difficulties associated with implementing a traditional grid system.