Former Commissioner for Budget, Planning and Development in Edo State, Hon. Lawrence Aghedo, has ushered in a new dawn in his local community of Iselu-Ewohinmi with a landmark power project that proves a watershed moment, and long-sought relief, for the protection of lives and properties and extension of business hours.
The former Commissioner, who boasts of a comprehensive record of personal investments in rural growth and development, sponsored the installation of solar systems to power crucial points in Iselu-Ewohinmi. This has caused an instant impact in the area of local security. Residents affirm that with the installation and round-the-clock illumination, they feel a greater sense of safety and protection.
Crucially too, it has prolonged business hours in the community and could herald the opening up of other sectors previously hindered by the daily onset of dusk, given that the community, until the installation, had no reliable alternative source of power.
An extension of business hours is a remarkable shift expected to power the growth of the community through several ripple benefits, including greater profits from trade, the attraction of other residents who will join and strengthen the community’s local economy, and trade dynamism, a factor that improves business knowledge and undergirds expansion.
The choice of solar power by Hon. Lawrence Aghedo is also congruous with the global drive to illuminate rural communities with renewable energy which is sustainable and has no adverse effect on the climate. Indeed, the effects of the heating climate as reported by scientists are worst felt in rural communities where there has been a noticeable change in farming windows, drought caused by prolonged hours of intense heat beaming down from the sun, and floods caused by irregular and extreme rainfall.
With a single stroke that no doubt came at a significant personal cost, Hon. Lawrence Aghedo has appreciably improved the security, economy and climate health of Iselu-Ewohinmi community. It is worthy of commendation.