Youngest lawmaker, Rukayat Shittu provides solar systems to light up Owode/Onire communities

The youngest lawmaker and member member representing Owode Onire constituency has facilitated 70 solar systems to light up underserved rural communities in her constituency.

Hon Rukayat said that investment in clean energy in rural communities is better than waiting for massive grid electricity access, which is very expensive and not sustainable, adding that prioritizing energy access in a sustainable way extends clean energy to marginalized communities without draining government purse.

In a statement by her constituency office, the lawmaker stated that, despite government investment in grid electricity over the years, there’s still gap to cover with limited resources.

According to her, many rural communities in her constituency do not have access to energy and those with access can hardly afford to pay for the energy they consume, thereby limiting electricity supply.

Hon Rukayat explained that, it is a known fact that Nigeria has the lowest access to electricity globally, with more than 92 million Nigerians without access to electricity.

“Electrification advances in Nigeria failed to keep pace with population growth, as the power problem in Nigeria remained perennial, stifling the country’s industrial growth, limiting commercial ventures expansion and profitability and the well being of the people, adding that, despite the establishment of a federal agency, Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to confront the challenges of electricity access in the country, especially in rural communities, the situation has not improved at the required pace, thereby limiting the reach of supply”.

The lawmaker noted that, solar energy stands as a game-changer for rural areas, where traditional power infrastructure might be lacking and implementing solar microgrids in these communities will not only provides a reliable source of electricity but also improves access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities.

“Renewable Energy for rural communities will help solve the problem of access and affordability” she said.

Hon Rukayat further explained that recently, the World Bank estimated that Nigeria would need to connect between 500,000-800,000 new households to electricity sources every year to 2030 to be able to achieve the target of universal access to electricity.

According to her, the government of Mallam Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq has made significant progress in rural electrification and while Kwara State is one of the top 3 states with highest access to electricity per household in the country, following Lagos (99.3%), Ekiti (92.7%) and Kwara with 90.6%, the Owode Onire constituency falls amongst the 10% population of Kwara still seeking access to electricity.

She therefore advocates for more investment in solar infrastructure to enhance sustainable energy access to rural communities.