Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has said providing electricity to rural communities will improve social life and reduce the tendency of residents to go to bed early.
Fayose spoke in Abuja on Friday after he was inaugurated as Chairman of the governing board of the Rural Electrification Agency.
The former governor said lack of electricity had affected nightlife and recreational activities in many rural communities, leaving residents with limited options after sunset.
According to him, many people in communities without electricity return home early because darkness restricts their activities outside the home.
He said the situation had also contributed to population growth, arguing that residents had fewer recreational alternatives at night.q mm
Fayose said, “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.”
He argued that access to electricity would change the situation by allowing businesses and recreational activities to operate beyond sunset.
The former governor said improved electricity supply would create opportunities for nightlife and other forms of recreation, giving residents alternatives to staying at home.
“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 said.
Fayose’s comments came as he assumed leadership of the REA board, the agency responsible for expanding electricity access to unserved and underserved communities across Nigeria.
The Federal Government has increasingly focused on rural electrification as part of efforts to improve access to power, support businesses and enhance living conditions in communities outside major urban centres.
Fayose was inaugurated alongside other members of the REA governing board by the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe.
Ahmadu Abubakar and Ilyasu Makinta were also inaugurated as board members, alongside three other non-executive directors.
Abba Aliyu was formally installed as the Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency.
The new board is expected to provide strategic direction for efforts to expand electricity access to rural and underserved communities across the country.
