The Light up Oyo Central programme has been launched at Laduntan Village in Ona Ara Local Government Area of Oyo State, marking a new effort to extend electricity to rural communities across the senatorial district.
The programme is designed to bring electricity to farming communities and encourage inter communal relationships for mutual benefits among villagers.
Speaking at the launch at the weekend, a member of the Oyo State Advisory Council, Mr. Michael Lana, said many villages, including his own, have struggled for years to access basic amenities that can attract indigenous people back home to invest in agriculture and development.
According to Lana, “some of these villages lack facilities that can make young people return to farm and build livelihoods, but from now, there is a movement championed by me, a village boy, to drive provision of potable water and solar powered lights in our villages.”
He explained that communities should not rely solely on government, noting that government projects are numerous and competing for attention, making it important for concerned indigenes to contribute.
Lana cited the Circular road project, which he said is very close to villages, stressing that it has the potential to open up the economy of Ona Ara Local Government and other areas it passes through in the area.
He noted that villages would be the first beneficiaries of the development and said they must be ready to support opportunities that would come with it.
Lana lauded Governor Seyi Makinde for the initiative and urged villagers to prepare themselves to be part of the economic growth expected from the Circular road project.
Residents of Laduntan Village expressed happiness that one of their sons was thinking about welfare of villages, listing challenges such as a dilapidated school building and lack of teaching staff, with Lana promising to renovate the school.
He also visited Gbangba village, where he and his entourage met villagers and promised to extend the Light up Oyo Central programme.
Read also: Apply: Bauchi Women SDG Innovation Hackathon 2026
