President highlights over 1,000 mini-grid projects, power sector reforms, and a ₦4 trillion debt-settlement plan aimed at expanding electricity access nationwide.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has praised the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) for expanding electricity access through off-grid and mini-grid projects across underserved communities, markets, schools, and healthcare facilities nationwide.
In his Democracy Day address, President Tinubu described reliable electricity as a democratic dividend and highlighted reforms aimed at fixing the country’s power sector.
“To address the problems besetting the sector, I signed the Electricity Act, which grants states authority to generate, transmit, and distribute power,” he said, adding that the Federal Government has also approved a ₦4 trillion bond to settle verified legacy debts in the sector.
The President noted that the REA, with support from the World Bank and African Development Bank, is helping bridge the nation’s energy gap. He referenced the recent commissioning of major solar hybrid mini-grid projects in Kogi State, expected to provide clean electricity to more than 5,000 households.
According to the agency, over 1,000 mini-grids are currently being developed across Nigeria, while the World Bank-backed Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES) programme aims to connect millions of Nigerians to reliable electricity.
REA said the projects are boosting economic activities, improving living standards, and supporting the government’s goal of delivering sustainable power to communities across the country.