Concerned Ijaw communities have issued a strongly worded open letter to the Honourable Minister of the Regional Development Engr. Abubakar Momoh, urging his office and the Tinubu administration to move beyond rhetorics and deliver real renewable energy projects to the Niger Delta region.
The letter was delivered on behalf of the communities by Engr. John Perede Akpoyibo, a tech enthusiast and advocate for renewable energy who described the commission as “fast sinking into political rhetoric and transactional tendencies,” warning that the Ijaw people will no longer tolerate empty promises or cosmetic interventions such as solar streetlights.
Commenting further on the situation, through a press statement he signed and made available to media houses, Akpoyibo said, “We are compelled to rub diesel on our bodies at night as mosquito repellant simply because there is no electricity to power basic appliances. That is not only shameful; it is a direct indictment on regional development itself”
He specifically challenged the Minister to replicate the proven solar mini-grid project at Okpokunou across other Ijaw communities and to commence the construction of hydroelectric dams.
According to him, renewable energy is non-negotiable for Ijaw communities.
The renewable energy activist also criticized Nigeria’s borrowing patterns, noting that billions of dollars are secured in loans, yet little or nothing reflects in grassroots communities.
“If we must borrow, then let our borrowing reflect the real needs of the people. Renewable energy projects, community dams, and functional Solar mini-grids are the kinds of investments that should stand as evidence of national borrowing—not endless road contracts and projects abandoned after the first flag-off ceremony,” Akpoyibo stressed.
He further listed abandoned skills acquisition centres, collapsed shoreline protection works, uncompleted housing schemes, and fraudulent empowerment programs as examples of failed regional development projects that have left citizens disillusioned.
Akpoyibo warned that divide-and-rule tactics will not work this time, as Ijaw youths are awake and ready to speak truth to power.
“The Ijaw people cannot and will not wait any longer. The future is renewable, and our demand is simple: Work the talk, Honourable Minister. If this government is serious about equity and sustainable development, then electrifying the Niger Delta through renewable energy must stand as a flagship achievement. Anything less will be remembered as another wasted opportunity,” he added
About The Author
