RismadarVoice Reporters, August 8, 2026
According to reports, former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose chairs the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) Governing Board under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
On Friday in Abuja, the agency’s board and Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe inaugurated Fayose. Federal Capital Territory Minister Nyesom Wike’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, announced the inauguration.
Alhaji Ahmadu Abubakar, Ilyasu Makinta, and three non-executive directors were sworn in. REA Managing Director Abba Aliyu was inaugurated.
Fayose praised President Tinubu for trusting him and the other appointees after the oath. He offered political support to improve agency operations and program funding.
“My mission in REA is to take the agency to greater heights by providing the needed political will,” Fayose said.
He said stakeholders and resources were being sought for short- and long-term power availability projects.
“Work has begun; we are quickly reaching out and urging completion. I guarantee this board will satisfy Nigerians, he remarked.
Fayose stressed that rural areas cause many of Nigeria’s electrical sector’s issues and that the agency’s role goes beyond electricity provision.
He said, “Our assignment is beyond providing electricity; it is about ensuring that Nigerians in underserved communities feel the impact of energy access.”
According to Power Minister Joseph Tegbe, Nigeria’s electrical sector should be measured by communities and persons served, not megawatts.
“We are moving from counting kilowatts and megawatts to counting how many communities and people are powered,” the minister stated.
Tegbe called the REA a key institution for education, healthcare, agriculture, business, and economic growth.
He added that electrifying every mini-grid, solar home system, school, market, healthcare facility, and productive enterprise boosts human capital, economic inclusiveness, and national achievement.
As the Federal Government executes the Electricity Act and other Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry reforms, the minister noted the agency’s role has risen.
He said the REA must link national electricity policy to grassroots development to benefit rural populations from reforms.
President Tinubu’s inauguration of the new board indicates his commitment to better public institution governance, accountability, and strategic oversight, added Tegbe.
He advised board members to collaborate with development organisations and the private sector to foster transparency, creativity, and prudent public resource management.
Ask: ‘How does this improve the lives and livelihoods of ordinary Nigerians?’ for every board decision. He stated the agency will exceed expectations if that remains our driving philosophy.
REA Managing Director, Abba Aliyu, thanked President Tinubu for the opportunity and promised to continue rural electrification and off-grid activities for underprivileged communities.
