The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has disclosed that several rural communities across Nigeria now enjoy stable electricity supply through completed mini-grid projects, with some residents paying higher tariffs than Band A customers.
Abba Aliyu, Managing Director of the agency, revealed this on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief programme.
Aliyu said that the electricity model implemented in rural areas has not only delivered reliable power but also shown that rural dwellers are willing to pay for electricity.
“There are communities, there are rural areas that pay more tariffs than Band A customers. There are areas where the tariff is close to N250 and N280,” Aliyu stated.
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He clarified that the tariff charged in rural communities depends largely on the total cost of infrastructure deployed by the agency in each location.
According to him, the mini-grid system allows for flexibility, meaning that while some communities are charged less than Band A customers, others are billed significantly higher.
“They pay for their electricity and they enjoy it, but there are other areas where the tariff is less than Band A. It’s subjective on the total cost of infrastructure we deploy within those communities,” he said.
The REA boss further highlighted that solar energy has proven to be an effective and sustainable solution for electrifying rural areas.
He added that the agency has completed numerous mini-grid and interconnected mini-grid projects across Nigeria, including those installed for universities and general hospitals in the country’s six geopolitical zones.
