The Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) and the Ondewari community in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the installation of solar-powered lighting system in the riverine settlement.
While the Executive Director of ERA/FoEN, Chima Williams signed the agreement for the environmental rights organisation, the paramount ruler of Ondewari, Chief Simon Ikisa appended his signature on behalf of the community during a brief ceremony in Yenagoa on Monday.
Among those who witnessed the signing of the MoU were the Programme Manager of ERA/FoEN, Bayelsa office, Alagoa Morris; chairman of Ondewari Community Development Committee (CDC), Ndukari Lyon; women leader, Camp Digbani; and the youth president, Provide Digbani. Williams explained that the group, as an advocate of a cleaner environment and renewable energy alternative, embarked on the initiative to demonstrate that governments in Nigeria could provide solar lights in communities.
According to him, ERA/FoEN was partnering with Eco Energy to carry out the project which cost he put at less than N20 million, to meet the basic needs of the community people. He said, “This will be a showpiece for other communities in the state, and for the governments at the federal and state levels to emulate and progress. “We’ve sent our team of engineers to the community to survey and map out how and where the solar system will be installed. In terms of cost, it is cost-effective. ERA is not spending up to N20million to get this done in 70 households.
“And the beauty of it is this: we are using this project to sort of encourage local content because if we were doing this project based on imported materials, N20 million would not scratch it. But because we are doing it with an indigenous Nigerian producer, it is less than N20 million that we are spending.”
Williams said some community people would be trained to manage the facility, adding that the people would each pay a token for maintenance and sustainability when the project was completed and activated. The ERA/FoEN boss, who advised the community against the use of high-wattage consuming electrical appliances, said, “So for sustainability sake, the little contribution that they will make can help in sustaining the life of the project and make the people continue to benefit from it beyond ERA.”
Speaking, the paramount ruler of Ondewari, Chief Simon Ikisa, expressed appreciation to the environmental rights group for coming to the aid of the community. He also thanked Alagoa Morris for assisting the community in development, saying that the solar system would drive the darkness away from the community and help the people immensely. Ikisa said, “The solar system will help us very well because in the night everywhere will not be dark. Light is good. The light will consume darkness in our community.”