Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has attributed the rising population in some rural communities to prolonged power outages, saying darkness after 7pm leaves residents with limited options for nighttime recreation.
Fayose made the remark in Abuja on Friday after his inauguration as Chairman of the Governing Board of the Rural Electrification Agency.
According to the former governor, the lack of electricity in rural areas forces residents to retire early, leaving them with little entertainment or recreational activity outside their homes.
He said the situation had indirectly contributed to increased childbearing, as couples were left with fewer nighttime activities.
“Why don’t you address this issue of electricity? The people at that level have no alternative attraction. Nothing else matters to them. After 7 o’clock, it gets dark there.
“Everybody is engaging their wives. And the population simply becomes double. The simple problem is because there is lack of electricity,” Fayose said.
He argued that improved electricity supply would transform life in rural communities by extending productive and recreational activities into the evening.
Fayose said reliable electricity would encourage the growth of nightlife, entertainment and other social activities, giving residents alternatives to staying indoors after dark.
“People go to bed early. Their mind is simply prepared that, well, if this is the only available recreation, let me remain here.
“But when we address this electricity, there will be nightlife. There will be recreation outside your wife,” he added.
Fayose’s comments came as he assumed leadership of the REA board, an agency responsible for expanding electricity access to underserved and unserved communities across Nigeria.
He was inaugurated alongside other members of the governing board by the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe.
The newly inaugurated board is expected to support efforts to improve rural electrification and expand access to reliable power across the country.
Fayose’s remarks have placed renewed attention on the broader social and economic consequences of Nigeria’s electricity challenges, particularly in communities where residents have limited access to alternative sources of entertainment and economic activity after sunset.
