Former Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose has been formally inaugurated as Chairman of the Governing Board of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) after accepting the appointment by President Bola Tinubu.
Power Minister Joseph Tegbe performed the inauguration of Fayose and other board members in Abuja on Friday.
The event was confirmed in a statement shared by Lere Olayinka, media aide to FCT Minister Nyesom Wike.
Also inaugurated were Alhaji Ahmadu Abubakar, Mr Ilyasu Makinta, and three other non-executive directors.
Mr Abba Aliyu assumed office as Managing Director of the agency.Speaking after the ceremony, Fayose thanked President Tinubu for the opportunity and pledged to provide the political will needed to elevate the REA.
“My mission in REA is to take the agency to greater heights by providing the needed political will,” he said.
He promised to secure the resources required for the agency’s short- and long-term programmes and to expand electricity access nationwide.
Fayose assured Nigerians that expectations surrounding the new board would not be disappointed.
“We will give our best to achieve the Renewed Hope of President Tinubu for the country to be better for us all,” he added.
He noted that many of Nigeria’s power challenges are concentrated at the grassroots and stressed that the REA’s role extends beyond mere electricity supply.
The board, he said, would work to ensure communities feel the tangible impact of improved energy access.
Minister Tegbe, during the inauguration, urged a shift in focus from simply measuring power generation in kilowatts and megawatts to counting the number of communities and people gaining electricity.
He described the REA as a strategic institution that expands opportunity through mini-grids, solar home systems, and electrification of markets, schools, healthcare centres, farms, and businesses.
Each project, he said, represents an investment in human capital, economic inclusion, and national prosperity.
Tegbe emphasised that the agency serves as a bridge between national electricity policy and grassroots development, especially as the Federal Government implements the Electricity Act and broader sector reforms.
He called on the new board to prioritise transparency, innovation, strategic oversight, value for money, and partnerships with development partners and the private sector.
“Most importantly, I encourage you to continually ask one fundamental question whenever decisions come before the board: ‘How does this improve the lives and livelihoods of ordinary Nigerians?’” the minister said.
REA Managing Director Abba Aliyu also thanked President Tinubu and reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to extending electricity to underserved and unserved communities through its rural and off-grid programmes.
The inauguration marks the official start of the new board’s tenure, with Fayose expected to provide strategic direction and oversight for the REA’s operations.
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