The General Manager Yobe State Rural Electrification Board (REB) Engineer Mustapha Goniri said the administration of Hon Mai Mala Buni has succeeded in electrifying a total of over 50 un-served communities in the rural areas and over 100 underserved communities in towns and urban areas to the national grid across the state.
The general manager stated this while speaking to newsmen on the activities of the agency under the administration of governor Mai Mala Buni in Yobe State.
Goniri said the governor has, apart from the rural electrification initiative, succeeded in reactivating, rehabilitating and strengthening most of the 33KV lines in addition to reconnecting all areas destroyed by insurgents across the state.
He further said, “His Excellency Hon Mai Mala Buni (Chiroman Gujba) has on inception mandated the REB to extend electricity to rural communities that were not served and the underserved areas at the towns and urban centres of the state.
“Under this programme, the Rural Electrification Board was able to connect over 50 rural areas that were hitherto unserved or connected to the nation grid and on top of that the board was able to extend to over 100 underserved in major towns within the state such as Buni-Yadi, Damaturu, Gashu’a, Nguru, Geidam, Potiskum, Damagum, Fika and other communities.
“These communities were mostly new settlements in the towns and despite being in major towns they were not connected to the national grid hence His Excellency mandated that every community that witnessed expansion and extension due development should be connected to the national grid.
“Under this administration, the REB was able to rehabilitate, reactivate and strengthen most of our 33KV lines spread across the major electricity routes meant to convey bulk power supply to major towns of the state.
“Example of those projects are Potiskum-Jakusko-Gashu’a-Yusufari 33KV line, Gashu’a-Jajimaji 33KV line, Damaturu-Damagum-Potiskum 33KV line, Tikau-Jajere 33KV line, Damaturu-Babbangida-Dapchi-Bayamari-Yusufari 33KV line, Bayamari-Balle-Geidam-Bukarti 33KV line, Damaturu-Buni-Yadi 33KV line and Potiskum-Kukargadu just to mention but few. All of these lines provide bulk power supply to the major towns of the state.
“Similarly, His Excellency has during his visit to one of the are that was worst hit by the activities of the Boko Harma insurgency at the Gujba east he instantly directed the REB to as a matter of urgency restore electricity to the area and as I am talking to you we have succeeded in rehabilitating 50km Katarko-Goniri 33KV line. We have equally succeeded in electrifying all the villages along that line,” the GM stated.
Goniri said apart from villages such as Ngurbuwa, Dadingel among others, places like Ngamma that were hitherto not electrified and connected to the national grid have benefitted from the governor’s gesture.
