At least, 300 rural communities in Enugu have been supplied electricity by the State Rural Electrification Board as part of the government’s effort to extend development and amenities to the rural areas and halt urban drift.
The electricity projects, according to the General Manager, Enugu State Rural Electrification Board, Onyema Odo, are scattered across communities in the 17 Local Government Councils of the state.
Odo said the board was propelled to embark on the large scale rural electrification projects following directive by Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi that every community in the state should have electricity and some other social amenities to stem urban migration.
He said that 185 of the communities have their projects completed and functioning while the projects in the remaining 115 communities are at various stages of completion.
“We are working in about 300 Enugu communities since the inception of this administration to provide them electricity; 185 of these communities have been energized and they are currently enjoying electricity. Work is still ongoing, at different stages of completion in the remaining 115 communities. We are hopeful that before the end of this year, we could have more communities that will enjoy electricity”, Odo said.
He explained that “the projects are funded 100 per cent by the Enugu State Government; there is no counterpart funding or donor agency participation.
“Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi made it very clear in his inaugural speech that rural communities would benefit immensely from his administration. He has backed the words with action such that since he came on board, the rural communities have been so active. This has reduced drastically rural urban drift; a lot of cottage industries are coming up in the rural communities as a result of power supply”.