VP Osinbajo at inauguration of Wuna village solar energy project
Residents of Wuna Community in Gwagwalada Area Council of the FCT have applauded the Federal Government’s solar energy initiative aimed at delivering affordable clean energy to rural households not connected to the grid.
Some of the residents who are also beneficiaries of the scheme, bared their minds in separate interviews with newsmen at the launch of the “PayGo Solar Home Systems” in the community on Tuesday.
A mammoth crowd including cultural dancers, youth groups and the entire traditional council of Wuna chiefdom had earlier given the Vice President and his team a fitting welcome on arrival at the community’s only primary school play ground.
They stated that the inauguration of the project was significant in many ways, one being the first of its kind in their community.
Bulus Gimba who is one of the first owners of the device in Wuna community, stated the major challenge of recharging mobile phones and lighting his home at night would be addressed with the installation of the solar system.
He stated for many years, his household had depended on bush lamps and in rare cases, generators, to provide light at night, a situation, he stated would change with the solar home system.
Gimba who spoke in Hausa language said, “Words alone cannot express the joy we feel in this community.
“Our people have suffered as a result of this lack of electricity and for years we complained and nothing was done, that is why we are grateful to Baba’s government for this project.”
In the same vein, John Yua, a youth leader in the community expressed joy and appreciation to the Federal Government for considering the community out of many others in the FCT for the launch of the project.
Yua was particularly appreciative of the fact that the payment plan for the system was designed to enable every household in the community own a unit.
He however urged the Federal Government to site more projects in the community especially the construction of roads and other infrastructure to improve the lives of the people.
Yua urged other agencies to emulate the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) in bringing projects that would transform the lives of the people of the community.
As stated by Yua, “What this project will do for our people will be massive, many people may not know this fact, this project will change everything in our village, that is why I am begging other organizations both in and outside government, to continue from here and bring more projects to us.”
Miss Gladys Wulko, a teacher in the Local Education Authority Primary School in the community stated the launch of the project would support the educational development of the community.
He said: “the children of this community will really benefit from this project because at night they will be able to study which is something that was a bit difficult before now.
“With this project, the lives of these children will not be the same again, and even those of us that work in the school will see the difference.”
The deployment of the 20, 000 Azuri solar home systems in communities across Nigeria is expected to create 500 direct jobs, including solar installer and agents.
This is in addition to the possibility of small businesses staying open for longer hours after sunset and students studying in the evening as well as off grid families being able to charge phones or listen to radio in their own homes.