Daud Olatunji
Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has attributed the absence of electricity in rural communities to early bedtime, limited recreational activities and what he described as increasing population growth.
Fayose made the remarks on Friday in Abuja shortly after his inauguration as Chairman of the governing board of the Rural Electrification Agency.
The former governor, who spoke on the need to expand electricity access to underserved communities, said darkness in rural areas after 7pm often left residents with few alternatives for evening activities.
According to him, the lack of electricity has social consequences beyond poor lighting, as residents are forced to remain indoors after sunset.
Fayose said, “Why you don’t 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 improved electricity supply would change the pattern of social activities in rural communities by extending productive and recreational hours beyond sunset.
Fayose added that access to electricity would provide opportunities for nightlife, recreation and other forms of social engagement, thereby reducing the tendency of residents to retire to bed early.
“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.
His remarks came as he assumed leadership of the REA board, the Federal Government agency responsible for driving electricity access to unserved and underserved communities across the country.
Fayose was inaugurated alongside other members of the 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 agency.
The new REA board is expected to support efforts to expand electricity access to rural and underserved communities, particularly through off-grid and other electrification initiatives.
Nigeria has continued to face significant electricity access challenges, particularly in rural areas where many communities remain poorly connected to the national grid.
Fayose’s comments therefore placed the social dimension of rural electrification alongside its more commonly cited economic benefits, including improved education, healthcare, security and opportunities for small businesses.
While his claim linking darkness and population growth was presented as an observation about the social consequences of early bedtime, demographic trends are influenced by several factors, including access to healthcare and contraception, education, household income, cultural practices and marriage patterns.
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