The federal government has reiterated its commitment to provide electricity to 25 million Nigerians through off-grid connections to 5 million homes.
Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo said this at the launch of 100,000 Solar Home System in Jangefe community, Kazuare Emirate, Jigawa State.
Osinbajo stated that the government was determined to bring power to un-served communities across the country.
He also applauded the management of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company, NDPHC, Limited for playing leading role in Federal Government’s plan to provide electricity to 25 million Nigerians through off-grid connections to 5 million homes.
He described NDPHC as a catalyst in the process of connecting communities across the country to off-grid systems.
The vice president explained that the project which would be financed by a N140 billion fund would be paid for by the beneficiaries.
According to him, “Another challenge which became an opportunity for us was the Covid-19 and our response to that which as many knows was Economic Sustainability Plan.
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“The President’s vision around that plan was that rather than have situations where people lose jobs and opportunities; we could take the opportunities of Covid-19 to create more jobs. We could take the opportunities of the economic fallout to create more opportunities for the Nigerian people.
“So the President approved that we should do these five million solar home connections across the country which would mean that 25 million Nigerians would have power.
”But not just that, there will be jobs around those who will manufacture, those who will assemble the solar systems, those who will install them will have jobs, those who will maintain them will have jobs and those who will also supply the payment systems and maintain the payment systems will also have jobs”.
He explained that the N140 billion finance programme will support private developers to provide power to the households.
