Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has called for more investment in renewable energy as an alternative power solution to mitigate the inadequate power situation in the country.
Obaseki stated this during an interactive session with the Minister of State for Power, Mr. Goddy Agba, and members of Edo Solar Engineers and Installers in Benin City, the state capital.
The governor noted: “I think it is time for us to take renewable energy seriously, with electricity tariffs likely to go up. I believe that in terms of costing, renewable energy should now be market-competitive in terms of pricing.
“We can electrify our country. We can electrify the rural communities. We have gas; we have a lot of electricity terminals in and around the state, but there are so many underserved communities.”
He continued: “I went round the 192 wards of the state during my electioneering campaign and most of our communities were in darkness. I made a promise to them that we were going to bring light to them.
“We are a government of light, and therefore, we are going to partner with the Federal Government and the Rural Electrification Agency to make sure that light gets to our people,” he assured.
The governor informed the Minister that the state government would soon set up a renewable energy cluster opposite its Production Hub where solar engineers would be aggregated.
He called on the Minister and the Rural Electrification Agency to provide support to ensure the cluster flourishes.
Earlier, Agba noted, “The Federal Government is interested in developing solar power in one community at a time; the one we went to yesterday is an example of that.”
On his part, the Managing Director of Rural Electrification Agency, Mr. Salihijo Ahmad, assured to provide technical support in actualising provision of renewable energy to rural areas.
One the solar installers, Mr. Fabian Ohaneche, called on the Federal Government to engage the services of local solar energy installers in repairs and maintenance of installation by the Rural Electrification Agency.
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