Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has stirred controversy after linking prolonged power outages in rural communities to early nights, limited entertainment options and increased childbirth.
Fayose made the remarks on Friday in Abuja shortly after he was inaugurated as Chairman of the Governing Board of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA).
According to the former governor, many rural residents are forced to stay indoors after nightfall because of the absence of electricity, leaving them with fewer recreational activities.
Speaking in a video clip shared by ARISE News on Saturday, Fayose said darkness sets in as early as 7pm in some communities, leaving residents with little alternative but to remain at home.
He said, “Why you don’t address this issue of electricity? The people at that level have no alternative attraction. Nothing else matters to them. After 7 o’clock, it gets dark there.
“Everybody is engaging their wives. And the population simply becomes double. The simple problem is because there is lack of electricity.”
Fayose argued that improved electricity supply would encourage nightlife, outdoor activities and other forms of recreation, reducing the tendency for residents to spend their evenings indoors.
“When we address this electricity, there will be nightlife. There will be recreation outside your wife,” he said.
The former governor, who now heads the REA board, said expanding electricity access to rural areas would not only improve living standards but also transform social activities in underserved communities.
The REA is saddled with the responsibility of driving the Federal Government’s efforts to provide electricity to unserved and underserved areas across Nigeria.
Fayose was sworn in alongside other members of the board by the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe.
Also inaugurated were Ahmadu Abubakar and Ilyasu Makinta as board members, alongside three non-executive directors, while Abba Aliyu was formally installed as Managing Director of the agency.
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