The Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Abba Aliyu, has revealed that Nigeria is the second country in the world with the largest number of people without access to electricity, behind only India.
Aliyu made this known on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s Morning Brief. He described the situation as a case of “electricity poverty,” but stressed that the current administration has developed a structured plan to tackle the challenge.
“I recently came across a post by The Economist which showed that only India has more people without electricity access than Nigeria. But unlike many other countries, Nigeria now has a well-structured plan to address this challenge,” he said.
According to him, the REA’s mandate is distinct from that of distribution companies, as the agency focuses on providing off-grid solutions to underserved and unserved communities across the country.
“If you have a problem with your Disco, that’s not within our mandate. Our focus is on communities without access to electricity,” Aliyu clarified.
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He further highlighted the Distributed Access to Renewable Energy Scale (DARES) initiative, describing it as the largest public renewable energy programme in the world.
Backed with a $750 million facility, the project aims to provide power to 17.5 million Nigerians currently living in darkness.
Aliyu reaffirmed that the agency’s goal is to close Nigeria’s energy access gap by deploying renewable energy solutions that will drive economic growth and improve livelihoods in rural areas.