In order to boost electricity in rural communities, the Rivers State government has voted about N9 billion for the take-off of the state rural electrification prog-ramme.

Addressing newsmen on the outcome of the state executive council meeting in Port Harcourt, on Wednesday night, the state Commissioner of Power, Augustine Wokocha, said the state Ministry of Finance had been directed to release 30 per cent of the total value to his ministry.

Wokocha said the project would commence from one community before proceeding to the other, so as to ensure proper monitoring and coordination.

“It was resolved that the contract should not be awarded generally and that it should not be done in a  half-hazard manner, rather, anywhere we start, we will take it to its logical conclusion before taking up the next group of communities,” he said.

Meanwhile, the state government has encouraged residents of the state to embrace the Riv-Green Project by planting grasses and flowers around their compound, to ensure a healthier environment.

The government has also approved the allocation of a piece of land for the building of a plastic recycling plant in the state, in collaboration with the Federal Government.

According to Wokocha, the project, when completed, would create employment opportunities for unemployed youths in the state.