Nigeria’s Largest Rural Minigrid to Electrify 600 Households in Ogun

Solar Nigeria for the People Limited (Solar Nigeria FTP), the Nigerian subsidiary of Solar Philippines has signed a Community Agreement with Ode Omi Community to invest about half a million dollars to build Nigeria’s largest rural minigrid.

Signing the agreement, the Country Director of Solar Nigeria FTP, Dr. Tobi A. Oluwatola said the project when completed will electrify 634 households, seven schools, three hospitals, eight religious organizations, and more than 90 businesses in the community.

The project which is due to be inaugurated in September 2019, will supply a peak load of 99kW to the community in its first phase, and up to 500kW in its second phase.

Giving highlights of the benefits of the project to the community, Dr. Oluwatola explained that the company plans to train and employ more than 50 youth from Ode Omi Community in the construction phase and also employ security personnel from the village as well as empower existing recharge card vendors to make additional revenue from selling prepaid meter credits for the minigrid in the operations phase.

“Other benefits to the community will include free street lighting and better health and education outcomes as hospitals can have necessary cooling, heating and lighting solutions and children will have light to study at night. Women also would not have to travel long distances to fetch water and wood as electric stoves and water pumps will replace firewood and stream water,” Dr Oluwatola explained.

Oluwatola noted that the Ode Omi project is the first out of hundreds to be constructed by his company, just as he assured of his firm’s commitment to work with Distribution Companies (Discos) to build interconnected mini-grids that will supply many areas in urban centres.

“This is the first of many. Our goal is to build 100 minigrids in our first year and to also work with Discos to build interconnected mini-grids that will supply previously underserved urban areas. We think that with solar today being cheaper than diesel (and gas in some countries), it is unconscionable that Nigerians continue to endure power cuts when we can aggressively deploy solar to solve the problem at scale. Our aim is to end energy poverty everywhere it exists,” he said.

Speaking for the community, His Royal Highness, Oba Adenuga Beyioku Okuniyi (Ojafoyewa II) thanked the company for building its pilot mini-grid in Ode Omi community. He stressed the importance of the community and its rich history going back to Oduduwa, the ancestral father of the Yoruba people, one of whose direct descendants reportedly founded the Ode Omi dynasty.

The signing of the community solar agreement was witnessed by the Chairman of the Ogun Waterside Local Government, Honorable Abajo Musa Olabode; the Chairman of the Ode Omi Community Solar Power Committee, Apostle Ahmed Surakatu; and Solar Philippines officials, Mr. Terence Dy Echo and Mr. Carlos Fernandez.

Some of the members of the community interviewed were excited about the prospects of 24 hours uninterrupted power in the community. Mr. Babatunde Ajose, a local entrepreneur said the project will make his business be more productive and profitable.

According to him, he would not have to travel four miles, and spend N1000 on transportation to Folu village to buy fuel for his generator on a weekly basis. He was also pleased to know that the tariff, would ensure that he spends less than he currently spends on fuel to get reliable and clean power.

Like Mr. Ajose, five rice millers, and several fishermen interviewed also echoed similar sentiment, saying that constant electricity will enable them to save costs and also preserve their products better with affordable cold storage options.

There are yet other options being canvassed for the sharing of leadership positions in the incoming National Assembly.

It was also learnt that some party leaders, especially those from the South-east and South-south are lobbying that their zones be considered for the Senate presidency.

The South-east party leaders said that since the position eluded the zone in the eighth Senate because there was no senator elected on the party’s platform in 2015, it would be wise now to compensate them.

But the APC spokesman said the new leadership of the party is mindful of what is at stake and will do everything possible to thwart any move by the PDP to encroach on its interests.

Group Advocate Zoning National Assembly Offices

Also commenting on the National Assembly leadership discourse, a pressure and lobby group, Justice Advocacy Group, has advised the APC leadership to ensure the legislature’s helm reflect regional balancing.

In a statement yesterday by the coordinator of the group, Mr. Akintunde Lawal, the body said Nigeria could not afford a repeat of the feud that characterized the 8th assembly where the leadership of the National Assembly and the executive could not work together in the interest of the nation.

He said: “Now that APC has won the elections, the critical issues should be how the APC will deliver to the electorates the dividends of democracy.

So what the party leaders need to do is to allocate key offices to respect geopolitical sensitivity and standing among geopolitical zones.”

Arguing further Lawal said: “We should guide against the crisis that characterized the 8th assembly. The incoming Nigerian legislature cannot afford any unnecessary feisty political relationship with the executive and to forestall this, the APC leadership must do what is right.

“There must be justice and fairness as enshrined in the constitution of the party and Nigerian constitution.

“As it is now, the North-west has the president while the Southwest has the vice president and the national leader of the APC leaving four zones bare.

“So it is incumbent on the party to reflect political balancing in considering the leadership of the 9th Assembly.

All the zones must be considered on the basis of equity as enshrined in the APC constitution.

Doing otherwise would be courting crisis in the coming Assembly.” Lawal said.

He noted that ceding the positions to the appropriate zones “would not amount to sacrificing competence but strengthening the foundation of democracy in the country.

It is important that every geopolitical zone in the country has a sense of belonging,” stressing

further that politics “also recognises the number of votes and therefore every zone must be recognized on the basis of their contributions to the party”.

In the just concluded presidential election the Northwest APC comprising seven states produced 5,995,651 representing 72.45% of the votes cast; North-east comprising six states produced 3,238,783 votes representing 74.36%; North Central comprising six states produced 2,465,599 votes representing 54.92%; South-west comprising six states produced 2,036,450 votes representing 53.41%; South-east comprising five states produced 403, 968 votes representing 19.26% and South-south comprising six states produced 1,051,396 votes representing 32.01%.

Lawal, however, warned: “If APC goes into the contest of principal officers in the National Assembly with a divided house, it will be detrimental not only to the party but the ninth Assembly.”