Tony Osauzo, Benin
Last year’s Christmas season will remain a memorable one for inhabitants of Oke-Irhue, an agrarian community in Uhunmwode Local Government Area of Edo State as the community was connected to the national grid by BEDC Electricity PLC.
The distribution company in a statement in Benin City, explained that the connection of Oke-Irhue to the national grid was to demonstrate it’s resolve to partner with communities without electricity supply in addressing their power outage challenge having fulfilled all necessary preconditions.
“We the entire people of Oke-irhue are happy because 15 months after the community’s General Assembly worldwide took up the challenge and struggle to light up our community, God finally answered our prayers during this special season of Christmas by granting our village the opportunity to be linked with the national electricity grid today, a project which has been on since 2002”, CP Douglas Agbonleni (rtd), President, OCGA National Assembly, said on the occasion.
He commended members of the community, the electricity committee for their patience, commitment and cooperation in ensuring that the project became a reality and urged them to guide ”this noble project jealously against the activities of vandals”.
Agbonleni noted that there would be re-awakened socio-economic advantage engendered by the new status of the community, and
thanked BEDC management for its guide, support and understanding in spite of inadequacies, promising that the OCGA would keep its own side of the bargain “by ensuring the safety of the equipment and meeting our financial obligations”.
He also thanked the federal government and the entire community members including those in the diaspora for the actualization of the project which he said started through the Rural Electrification project (REA) initiated since 2002.