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Once a thriving and vibrant community, Toto began to lose its essence over time. Young and elderly alike started migrating to other towns and states in search of better opportunities, particularly to places where they could easily access electricity.
For a long time, the community’s primary source of energy were the sun and the moon. Usually, as the sun sets, apprehension filled the air, as the nights were often cold and pitch dark. The few people that owned generators found it increasingly difficult to afford the high cost of diesel or petrol.
Narrating the struggles of his people with electricity supply, Abdurrahman Musa, Ward Head of Gareji under the Ona Oge, Malam Muhammadu Azaki in Nasarawa State, Toto Local Government Area, said, “In all honesty, we faced numerous challenges in this community. We often heard about electricity, but it was an elusive commodity for us. Also, as the cost of fuel and diesel increased, business owners struggled to keep their businesses running.”
Abdurrahman runs a borehole business. However, because of the unavailability of reliable electricity, for a long time, he could no longer run his business, particularly with the high cost of fuel needed to power his pumps. This setback not only affected him but also the young men who relied on his business to support their families.
Thankfully, the intervention by the European Union, through its Global Gateway Initiative, provided solar panels and uninterrupted electricity to rural communities. Over 5,000 residents and businesses in Toto community benefited from this project.
Explaining how the intervention helped him and his community, Abdurrahman, said, “My commercial borehole has started working. I can pay the school fees of my children—four in the university and two in polytechnic—and I can afford other things, thank God. About 30 people are employed under my business, including motorbike washers.
“I also have a car wash business that employs some youths. It is now prospering with the installation of the solar panels. Ten to fifteen youths are now employed, and they can fend for themselves without their parents’ support. This is real development.
“Before now, we used to go to the stream to fetch water. However, since the solar panels were installed, we now enjoy our lives like the people resident in Abuja. We don’t have electricity problems anymore. We thank God and thank the Emir of Toto. He played a key role. He gave them space and rendered other assistance, and now electricity is a reality. We thank God. May Allah reward them.
We had a lot of artisans whose businesses stopped due to the lack of electricity, but with the installation of the solar panels, things changed for the better. Before the installation of the solar panels, people operating cold rooms/fridge businesses had abandoned them for about four to five years. There was a commercial borehole abandoned for about three to four years, but with the solar panels, the business is resuscitated.”
The European Union is partnering with Nigeria to provide 400 MWp cumulative installed capacity of renewable energy resources (solar energy and small hydropower) for 5 million Nigerians by 2027 under its new energy programme – “EU Nigeria Cooperation Programme for Sustainable Energy Sector in Nigeria Phase 1 (NCProSES).”
With a funding of €37,000,000 (N30,486,520,000), the programme is designed to complement the Nigerian government’s energy transition plan, which aims to achieve net-zero by 2060, harnessing renewable energy resources for a greener and more energy-efficient future.