Rural energy conditions in oyo state: Present and future perspectives on the untapped resources

Abstract

Over 60% of the Nigerian population still resides within rural spaces. These rural spaces are zones of isolation with a high electricity and energy demand for enhanced livelihoods and settlement liveability. Despite the demand for electricity in these rural areas, they still remains under-serviced as far as accessibility to a stable electricity supply is concerned. Likewise, connection historically to the conventional electricity grid in many rural areas remains a mirage. With rural energy resource potentials remaining untapped, this study made use of both qualitative and qualitative data gathered across 472 rural households in 9 randomly selected rural local government areas (LGAs) to provide a narrative around rural household energy experiences. The study brings to light the abundance of un-utilized renewable resources that could be exploited towards providing electricity for rural households. Several limitations identified include weak political will, a limited profit-orientation of electricity by investors and limited energy choice information to households.