Maiduguri — DETERMINED to ensure that all the 774 local government areas in the country benefit from governments rural electrification projects, about 660 of the council areas have now been connected to the national grid since 1999.

This figure was contained in a detailed data from the Ministry of Power and Steel as was circulated in Damarsak, Mobbar local government area of Borno State, one of the benefiting council areas in the third phase of rural electrification programme to heavily populated areas.

According to the statistics, 737 rural electrification projects have been completed out of the present 1,400 on-going rural electrification projects nation wide, some of which are at various stages of completion.

Work is on-going in the remaining 57 local government areas to be connected to the national grid, most of which are in very difficult terrain of the northern and southern parts of the country.

The federal government has been lucky to have the Japanese government assistance along the electrification projects which the government of Japan has so far committed about 5.48b Japanese yen which is counterpart funding now stands at N348.8m.

The grant-in-aid to the Nigerian government came as a result of President Olusegun Obasanjo's visit to Japan, shortly after being elected in 1999 and he was able to secure the grant as president-elect which actual commencement of the grant begun in 2000.

In the first phase of the programme, Keana and Awe local government areas of Nassarawa State were the beneficiaries and the project cost was put at 1.2bn. Japanese yen with the federal government corresponding with N171m as counterpart funding.

The second phase which gulped 653 Japanese Yen and N88.4m counter part funding was completed and commissioned in Bogoro and Kalshingi in Bauchi and Gombe states respectively while the 200K.M. town of Demasak from Maiduguri was commissioned by President Olusegun Obasanjo and it cost Japanese Yen. 1.628bn and N89.4m as a cocontractor funding.

All projects have been connected to the national grid while the Damasak line passed through two other local government area in Bono and these include Magumeri and Gubio before terminating in Mobbar local government, a border town with Diffa province in Niger Republic.

The 2.5 MVA switching station in Maiduguri to the 33/11 KV primary sub-station in Damasak will cover the three neighbouring local government areas including the neighbouring Diffa Province in Niger Republic while commissioning the project, president Obsasnjo was full of commendation to the government of Japan and expressed optimism that little hamlets and villages would also benefit from the on-going rural electrification projects at least before he leave office in 2007.

He said the area of interest now is in Solar energy and urged japan to assist the country by ensuring that the local villages and hamlet are provided with such facilities as is observed in rural settlements in Japan.

The President, also called on his foreign trip critics that all his visits abroad are not for picnic as can now be established through these Japanese grant which the first, second and third phases have put smiles on the faces of the benefiting communities.

By the time this efforts yield positive results, he said, there will not be isolated hamlets or villages in the country and that is the beginning of real industrial growth and developments in the country.