Edu Communities Still in Darkness After Years Without Reliable Power as LEYTA Faults JEO TV Report on Solar Mini-Grid.

Edu Communities Still in Darkness After Years Without Reliable Power as LEYTA Faults JEO TV Report on Solar Mini-Grid.

Communities across Edu Local Government Area of Kwara State have continued to grapple with prolonged electricity challenges, with residents reportedly experiencing years of unreliable or unavailable power supply.

Against this backdrop, a recent report by Just Event Online TV (JEO TV) claiming that Edu LGA had marked one year of uninterrupted electricity supply from a solar-powered mini-grid has come under scrutiny following a clarification issued by the Lafiagi Emirate Youth Transparent Association (LEYTA).

The JEO TV report credited the solar-powered mini-grid initiative to Engineer Sulaiman Bolakale Kawu Agaka, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Kwara State, stating that the facility, commissioned in August 2025, had provided reliable electricity to homes, businesses, workshops, health facilities and other users.

The report further highlighted alleged benefits to traders, cold-room operators, grain millers, barbers, tailors, phone-charging businesses and health workers, among others.

However, LEYTA has challenged the accuracy of the report, particularly the impression that the project is already providing electricity to households and businesses across the benefiting communities.

In its rebuttal, the youth association commended Engr. Agaka for initiating and constructing the solar mini-grid, describing the intervention as a welcome response to the persistent electricity challenges facing communities in Edu.

But LEYTA disputed the reported level of community-wide impact, insisting that the project had not, at the time of its statement, been connected to the households, businesses, schools and health facilities it was designed to serve.

According to the association, the distinction is important because the commissioning or construction of a power project does not necessarily mean that residents are already receiving electricity from it.

“The project is not complete in terms of community impact until the electricity reaches the communities it was designed to serve,” LEYTA stated.

The development has therefore raised questions over the accuracy of the JEO TV report and whether adequate verification was carried out before claims about widespread electricity access and its socioeconomic impact were published.

For communities in Edu, the issue is particularly significant. Residents have endured prolonged electricity difficulties for years, with the lack of reliable power affecting businesses, education, healthcare and household activities.

The communities' expectation, therefore, is not merely for the construction of a solar facility, but for the project to become fully operational and accessible to the people for whom it was conceived.

LEYTA consequently called on the project team, community leaders and relevant stakeholders to expedite the connection of homes, businesses, schools and healthcare facilities to the mini-grid.

The association also urged media organisations to exercise greater due diligence when reporting development projects, particularly where claims of widespread community impact are involved.

NupekoTV understands that the controversy does not diminish the importance of the solar initiative itself. Rather, it highlights the need for transparency and accurate communication about the project's present operational status.

While Engr. Agaka deserves recognition for initiating an alternative-energy project in an area facing serious electricity challenges, residents ultimately need to see the project translate into actual electricity access.

For communities that have reportedly lived with inadequate electricity for more than a decade, the real measure of success will not be the commissioning ceremony or the announcement of the project, but the moment homes, businesses, schools and health facilities begin receiving stable power.

The conflicting accounts also underscore the importance of independent verification of development claims before publication, especially when such reports could create expectations among communities that have waited for reliable electricity for many years.

NupekoTV will continue to monitor developments surrounding the Edu solar mini-grid project and report on its actual level of community connectivity and impact.