- Degrees Worthless Without Access to Electricity
The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, has said that the qualifications obtained by board members of the Rural Electrification Agency from tertiary institutions are meaningless if millions of Nigerians do not have access to electricity.
Fashola stated this while inaugurating the new board for the REA at the headquarters of the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing in Abuja on Tuesday.
He stated that millions of rural dwellers and others in urban centres did not have access to electricity, adding that the responsibility of the new board was to ensure that most of these people get power in the shortest possible time.
Fashola said, “I think it is important to know why we are here so that we start with the common understanding of what our objective is; you know what is expected of you and understand the necessity to succeed.
“Very clearly, from the citations that we have listened to, Mr. President has picked from Nigeria those who are solely trained in Nigeria, for I heard Ahmadu Bello University, Nekede (polytechnic), as well as those from Doha and the United Kingdom.
“So clearly, the qualifications that you have are not in doubt, but those qualifications mean nothing if people do not have access to electricity across the country. Your qualifications, experience and achievements mean nothing if this team does not deliver electricity to the people who are in their millions and are yet to be connected to the grid.”
The minister told the board members that they should ensure that millions in rural communities get electricity, either by connecting them to the national grid or by providing them with off-grid power.