Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, has assumed office as Chairman of the Governing Board of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), promising to deploy the political will needed to transform the agency and expand electricity access across Nigeria.
Fayose was inaugurated on Friday by the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, alongside Alhaji Ahmadu Abubakar, Mr Ilyasu Makinta and three other members and non-executive directors. Mr Abba Aliyu was also inaugurated as the Managing Director of the agency.
Speaking after his inauguration, Fayose thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for finding him and other board members worthy of the responsibility, pledging that Nigerians would not be disappointed by their appointments.
He said his immediate mission was to take REA to greater heights by mobilising the political will and resources required to execute both its short- and long-term programmes.
“Work has started in earnest; we are reaching out very fast and appealing to people to ensure the work is done.
“I want to use this window to assure Nigerians that your expectation about my appointment and my colleagues will not be dashed.
“We will give our best to achieve the Renewed Hope of President Tinubu for the country to be better for us all,” Fayose said.
The former governor said the challenges confronting Nigeria’s electricity sector were particularly pronounced at the grassroots, stressing that the REA’s mandate went beyond simply providing electricity.
According to him, the agency must ensure that the millions of Nigerians who remain without reliable electricity feel the direct impact of ongoing power-sector reforms.
He said electrification must translate into tangible improvements in the lives and livelihoods of Nigerians, particularly those in underserved and unserved communities.
“When this happens, the people will forever be indebted to the agency,” he said.
Also speaking, REA Managing Director, Abba Aliyu, thanked President Tinubu for the opportunity to serve, assuring that the agency would intensify efforts to extend electricity to unserved and underserved communities nationwide.
Earlier, Tegbe declared that Nigeria’s electricity sector was undergoing a fundamental shift—from measuring success by the number of kilowatts and megawatts generated to measuring how many communities and Nigerians were actually powered.
He said REA occupied a “unique and strategic place” in Nigeria’s power-sector architecture because its mandate extended beyond connecting communities to electricity.
“We are moving from just counting kilowatts and megawatts to how many communities and people were powered in the country.
“REA is fundamentally an institution for expanding opportunity,” Tegbe said.
The minister said every mini-grid commissioned, solar home system deployed and school, market, primary healthcare centre, farm or productive enterprise connected to electricity represented an investment in human capital, economic inclusion and national prosperity.
He noted that the agency’s role had become even more critical with the implementation of the Electricity Act and the Federal Government’s ongoing reforms of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.
According to Tegbe, REA serves as the bridge between national electricity policy and grassroots development by ensuring that the benefits of power-sector reforms reach not only major cities but also remote communities across the federation.
He described the constitution of the new board as another demonstration of Tinubu’s commitment to strengthening governance and accountability in public institutions.
Tegbe charged the board to provide strategic direction, strengthen institutional governance, protect public resources and ensure value for money.
He also urged the members to deepen collaboration with development partners and the private sector while embracing transparency, innovation and strategic thinking.
The minister said the board was assuming office at a defining moment for the power sector and challenged its members to make measurable impact their overriding priority.
“Most importantly, I encourage you to continually ask one fundamental question whenever decisions come before the board,” he said.
