●Evaluates, scores REA-NEP high in Nigeria’s mass electrification project interventions
By Enyi Ejike-Umunnabuike Jr
The President of the World Bank, Mr. Ajay Banga , in Nigeria , for a three day official state visit and site inspection assessment of ongoing rural electrification projects, has given the global apex Bank’s assurance and commitment towards ensuring that all the geographical locations in Nigeria, would be connected to the National Grid.
According to the World Bank President, a total of 1000 Solar Mini-Grids, have been projected for installation across Nigeria, even as no defined time-frame , has been set by the global apex banking giant.
This, Ajay Banga, said, would be provided to cover all the underserved and unserved nooks and crannies of the country, given the economic, social and allied benefits electrical energy has to the dignity of life and standards of living.
Meanwhile, the World Bank has disclosed that, so far no fewer than 150 Mini-Grids, have been put in place through the impressive interventionist role by the REA-NEP mass electrification projects, promising that an additional 300 of such Mini-Grids, are expected to be put in place.
In the words of the World Bank President, about 15,000 direct as well as 20,000 indirect jobs, are to be created from the provision of these Mini-Grids.
The decision to site project in Petti community, according to Ajay Banga, is because of the fact that the whole projects , going on with the Federal Government of Nigeria , are all shouldered between the World Bank, REA-NEP and allied stakeholders, as represented by the Federal Ministry of Finance, who have been very active in driving the projects along with REA.
The World Bank President, who made the disclosure in Petti local community of Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, summarized his thoughts in the following way when he said, ”the idea was to find a way to bring electricity to as many house-holds as possible, who otherwise would find it very difficult to get connected to a grid. “”The alternative is a diesel generator which is not so good for the environment and is very expensive to run””.
He explained further , “” The idea was to create these Mini-Grids which can provide the connectivity for local house-holds. So in the Petti local community, there are four of such Mini-Grids, which will eventually be connected to each other to lighten up the highly rural Petti Community. “”.
The physical presence of the President of the World Bank, in the remote and sprawling rural Petti Community of Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, gave the sleepy settlement the euphoria of a seasonal festive period.
The occasion was the official World Bank, Rural Electrification Agency [ REA ] field visit to Nigeria Electrification Project [NEP] 60kwp capacity mini-grid site at Petti community in Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, prompting the lovers of ancient tradition to roll out the drums, which reminded the visitors of their respective immediate native environment, where culture and secondary socialization processes, play great roles in any interface with August visitors , like Ajay Banga of the World Bank.
As Ajay Banga, inspected every facility at the Petti community, he was told that the storage capacity of the mini-grid solar energy powered facility , is 174 Kwp lithium ion, a population of over 1,519 inhabitants , with no fewer than 310 connected households.
Findings by this reporter from the sleepy and rusty Petti local community, which instantly offers the sharp image of citizens from a somewhat repressive area , with visible signs of rural poverty , showed that , about 18 public utilities and social amenities , have so far recieved, public connections , courtesy of the off-grid power sources, while about 17 MSME’s , have also been connected.
A breakdown of the public utilities connected to the mini-grid, include two schools, one health center, one public water hand pump, ten street lights, two churches and two mosques.
Similarly, a total of fourteen commercial , shops, two tailor workshops , one barber shop, and one welder shop, are currently functional in the Petti local community, whose peaceful and amiable highly economically impoverished inhabitants, may have lost touch with modernity.
Ajay Banga, was accompanied by Mr. Ousmane Diagana , the Vice President of the World Bank, In-Charge of Western and Central African Region, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry Of Finance, Alhaji Mohammed Aliyu , including the Special Adviser on Energy to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Ms Olu Verjehien, MD/CEO of the Rural Electrification Agency [REA], Engr. Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad , Head Project Management Unit of the Nigeria Electrification Project [NEP] , top-notch management staff of the World Bank, alongside significant other dignitaries from the Federal Ministries , Departments and Agencies.
The World Bank boss , says, the World Bank , is making frantic efforts to ensure the electrification all underserved and unserved local communities, in Nigeria , is achievable, commending the efforts of private investors , who he praised for bringing their skills, investment portfolios , energy as well as offering their daily presence in all the local communities, where REA-NEP projects , are either established or ongoing’ to make the dream of rural electrification happen”’.
The Solar Hybrid Mini-Grid , was deployed to serve as an alternative source of energy to impact rural dwellers in the country , coming at a time the Federal Government of Nigeria, had formally announced the removal of the petroleum products subsidy, occasioned by the Petroleum Industry Act.
The Managing Director, Nigeria Rural Electrification Agency Mr Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad explained that the intervention would catalyze economic growth and improve quality of life in rural communities.
According to Engr. Ahmad Salihijo Ahmad, the combined efforts between REA-NEP projects, across Nigeria, had always been planned , using the three most important demographic variables that define population -sizes, population-patterns and population-distributions, in developing and developed nations.
The Head Project Management Unit [HPMU] of Nigeria Electrification Project Mr Abba Aliyu , said renewable energy would guaranty and enhance energy security as well as reliability to mitigate the impact of transmission losses and grid failures, including bridging the energy access deficit in Nigeria.
Mr Abba Aliyu stated that the siting of the Mini-Grids, in rural areas would boost economic activities and provide jobs for the teeming youth sub-populations.
In order to best appreciate Nigeria’s National Grid Projection as conceptualized by Ajay Banga, it may best be understood from his prism of knowledge when he responded to this reporters question, thus, “” the World Bank, is also projecting that as part of the institutional measures towards encouraging massive jobs creation in Nigeria, would be when under the REA-NEP World Bank enabled projects, have local Nigerian untapped talents, begin to manufacture some of the Solar Cell Batteries and containers , locally, in such a way that would create even higher number of employment opportunities to teeming sub-populations in Nigeria.
“” So it is not just the money that the World Bank puts into project implementation but the result of the money ploughed into projects””.
Giving further insight into the background to Nigeria’s National Grid Projection, the World Bank President, enthused, “” the result of the money placed on the project implementation by the World Bank, defines the humanity and dignity of the average Nigerian citizen. This also defines the lifestyle of house-keeping aide. In other words, the most important thing to any human being, is the concept of dignity to his or her lifestyle. “”Dignity comes, when you are independent “”.
In the consideration of the World Bank President, making a national projection on how the provision of electricity relates to human dignity can be explained when , “” you don’t have to walk miles or kilometers away from your home to get portable water for either domestic or commercial usage. “” You have your children study in the evening when there is electricity. You put on your electric fan when you are hot. Your business can run till 11.00 o’clock . “”.
He said that , “” for the. local private investors in a rural community , like PETTI , there are chances to do all these and make profit out of it, that is the only way that they can have money””.
Analyzing the corolation between the provision of electricity via mass rural electrification projects and the dignity of the rural dweller beneficiaries, as it relates to rural poverty and urban misery,, viewed against the background of rural empowerment and national development, the World Bank President , said, “” I will give you my view on this. “” In my view, it is not a Nigerian problem alone. Please don’t feel that , you are alone in this global sociological topic. I will give you my own view and I would like the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Finance , Abuja, Nigeria, to also respond. The problem is that , many countries around the world, have gone through an Urban Land development Model which automatically creates challenges of reaching services to the last place in rural areas. Ideas like this , change that model and do not rely on some very expensive great criteria to reach every village but empower the local villages with local facilities to. change the lives of local people””.
The sociology of the Urban Land Development Model , was one of the theoretical postulations {theories} which global development partners , had always relied upon in driving rural , semi-urban and urban development initiatives, across continents. Essentially, the Urban Land Development Model , { Land Use Models} are therories which strive to define the layout of urban areas as well as in simplifying complex real life situations, by making them easier to explain and comprehend amongst development partners .
Explaining further , the World Bank Boss, remarked, “”
“” This is only the beginning. You have to do more. You have to do things. For example, as we were coming to the PETTI COMMUNITY for the site inspection tour, Mr. Mohammed Aliyu , the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Finance, Abuja, was telling me that they are getting some electrical motor vehicles, e-vehicles, tricycles and other forms of vehicles to enable transport connectivity between the villages with the local towns, about 12 kilometers away. Now, nobody would have thought about that before the Solar Batteries came into existence. Therefore the way to do this is to build the right infrastructure and that is how much the Federal Government of Nigeria and institutions like us, can do. In doing this, you have to allow the private sector and rural locally based entepreneurs to benefit from it. I don’t mean big companies. I mean companies that are locally based, who can be encouraged to build on the energy. “”.
Highly encouraged and emboldened by the positive impression-formation processes, he experienced during his special courtesy call on Nigeria’s President, Commander -In -Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Distinguished Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, the World Bank President, Ajay Banga, had this to say, “” I think that is the vision that His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has. You that I met with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, yesterday. And I was very impressed with his very laudable vision. However, let the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Finance Abuja, to make his comments as well , “” , the number global banker , espoused, concluding his very enthralling noble ideas and thoughts.
For the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Finance, Mr. Mohammed Aliyu, he summarized his opinion this way, “” As you are aware, most of our rural communities, are far flung. So it is only solutions like what had been provided REA-NEP projects, that can work in order to provide and access power. Grid provisions to rural communities are not in-practicable in the first instance even as they are not economical. So , s solutions like this , will bring immediate succour in providing power to the local communities that can transform the lives and their systems. “”
The Federal Permanent Secretary ‘s views the lovely and homely rural based PETTI COMMUNITY villagers , were very enthralling as they were graphic, as spoke in the following way, “” As you can see, main occupational activities of the people PETTI COMMUNITY, is the production of melon. They require a lot of water in order to produce these crops..
“” Prior to the intervention of the REA-NEP World Bank assisted Rural Electrification Projects, they, the villagers , used to trek long distances to far-flung streams and rivers , in order to get water. Happily, here they are right in front of their homes, having Solar powered water to improve their personal activities and personal economic conditions of daily existence. “”
The Nigeria Rural Electrification Agency [ REA ] , is the implementing agency of the Federal Government of Nigeria, under the Federal Ministry of Power, statutorily charged with the electrification of unserved and underserved local , semi-urban and urban communities. The sole aim of the Agency’s quick-Interventionist development drive is to deepen economic growth indices as well as add-value to the quality of life of Nigerians, by upscaling their daily economic conditions of existence , through affordable alternative clean energy sources,like Solar Home Systems, in off -grid localities or mains.
Nigeria Electrification Project {NEP}, is a unit of the Rural Electrification Agency {REA}, which is solely responsible for implementing iinovative prohrams that are private sector-driven.
It essentially seeks to bridge the access deficit through the provision of electricity to scores of house-holds, MSME’s , Educational & Health facilities, in unserved and underserved rural communities, in Nigeria.
NEP, executes these projects, through the deployment of Solar Hybrid Mini-Grids, Solar Home Systems, Captive Power Plants & Productive Use Equipment as well as Appliances.
To this end, investigations by this reporter , shows that the Nigeria Electrification Project {NEP}, had recorded tremendous successes , in living up the expectations required of it by the World Bank, under the supervision of the parent agency , the Rural Electrification Agency [REA],
So far NEP , had been able to connect to 3.5 Million people , 705,000 house-holds , 90,000 Micro , Small & Medium Enterprises [ MSME’s } , 15 Federal Government owned Universities, 2 affiliated University Teaching Hospitals as well as covering no fever than 100 COVID -19 ISOLATION CENTRES, during the trying days of the pandemic, that almost brought the entire world to its kneels, disrupting global economies and causing sundry social dysfunctions.
The writer of this piece ,
Ichie Enyi Ejike-Umunnabuike Jr., is a staff member of THE COSMOPOLITAN Nigeria, and was on the official entourage of the President World Bank, Ajay Banga, to Petti Local Community of Kwali Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
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