By Femi Bolaji, Jalingo
For the first time in living memory, 63 homes in Mayo-Selbe, a rural community in Taraba State, now hum softly with the power of solar energy.
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Located in Gashaka Local Government Area and flanked by the majestic Gashaka-Gumti National Park, Mayo-Selbe has long lived in the shadows and remained cut off from Nigeria’s national electricity grid and forgotten by time and progress.
Nights here were once swallowed by pitch darkness, save for flickering lanterns and smoky firewood flames. But now, the village glows. For the people of this remote community, it is nothing short of a miracle.
The change arrived quietly, yet powerfully, in the form of a solar electrification project funded by the Australian Government and implemented by the Africa Nature Investors, ANI, Foundation.
Hadiza Danlami, who was among the first beneficiaries of the rural electrification project, said: “We never believed this day would come.
“Before now, our children couldn’t read at night. We only had oil lamps, and even those were too costly to maintain.”
Danlami beamed in delight as she watched her children do their homework under a newly installed solar-powered bulb.
Another resident, Musa Ibrahim, noted that the benefit of power in their community goes beyond the obvious. He said: “This light is life for us. Our phones can now charge, our children are safer at night, and we can even begin small businesses.”
The First Class Chief of Gashaka, Lamdo Zubairu Hammangabdo, who also spoke, said the rural electrification project is a game-changer.
He said: “This is a transformational step for our people.
“For decades, Mayo-Selbe has waited. Today, with the help of ANI and the Australian Government, that wait is over.”
The Australian High Commissioner, Ms. Leilani Bin-Juda, who also spoke through ANI’s Country Manager, Nacha Geoffrey, emphasized the grassroots nature of the project.
She said: “This solar solution brings clean, green energy to Mayo-Selbe for the first time.
“It’s a milestone, not just for this village, but as a model for remote communities everywhere.”
Conservator General of the National Park Service, Dr. Ibrahim Goni, who also commented on the development, noted that solar power could reduce the community’s reliance on forest resources for fuel.
He said: “This intervention doesn’t just bring electricity, it fights poverty, protects nature, and opens doors for economic growth.”
The Taraba State Commissioner for Heritage and Ecotourism, Titus Joseph Nagombe, who also echoed these sentiments, said the motive aligns with Governor Agbu Kefas’ development agenda.
While only a fraction of homes have been connected in this first phase, hope is spreading one light at a time.
The project is expected to power 500 households in total and will be implemented in phases.
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