REA is an Institution for Expanding Opportunity—Tegbe

**Tasks Board to Prioritise Improving Livelihoods of Nigerians

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The newly inaugurated board of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has been advised to prioritise the well-being and economic progress of ordinary Nigerians in every decision it makes.

This charge was given by the Minister of Power, Mr Joseph Tegbe, when he inaugurated the board, which has the former Governor of Ekiti State, Mr Ayodele Fayose, as chairman, and Mr Abba Aliyu as its chief executive.

Mr Tegbe described the board’s constitution as consistent with President Bola Tinubu’s drive to strengthen governance and accountability across public institutions.

He further described the agency as an institution for expanding opportunity, noting that every mini-grid, solar home system and electrified market, school, health centre or farm represents an investment in human capital and economic inclusion.

He pointed to REA’s existing programmes, the Energising Education, Economies and Agriculture Programmes and the Africa Mini-Grids Programme, as evidence of that strategy at work, and noted that the Board, constituted under Section 130 of the Electricity Act, takes office at a defining moment for the organisation.

On governance, the Minister drew a clear line between the board’s non-executive role of strategic direction and oversight and management’s responsibility for day-to-day execution.

He noted that the board meets quarterly to review performance while management retains operational latitude between meetings, subject to full accountability.

Mr Tegbe commended Mr Fayose’s record as a former Governor of Ekiti State, assuring of the Ministry’s continued partnership and a description of electricity as an instrument of inclusion, opportunity and prosperity.

In his remarks, the board chairman described President Tinubu’s decision to appoint Mr Tegbe as a statement of seriousness rather than a routine appointment, a signal that the administration would settle for nothing less than a lasting solution to Nigeria’s power problem.

He called the Minister a technocrat whose technical depth and managerial competence have already produced a positive turning point for the sector, affirming that REA’s leadership was proud to work with him on that effort.