The Federal Government has allocated N100 billion in the 2025 budget, currently before the National Assembly approval, to install solar mini-grids at selected universities and teaching hospitals, including the University of Ibadan (UI) and University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.
Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Abba Aliyu, revealed this on Tuesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.
He explained that the initiative falls under the National Public Sector Solarisation Initiative, a program of the Federal Ministry of Power aimed at reducing governance costs and ensuring sustainable electricity supply.
“It’s a new concept designed to reduce the cost of governance. N100bn has been allocated for it. We are going to use that funding to solarise the entire public institutions,” Aliyu stated.
He further noted that the high costs of diesel and generators in public institutions prompted the government to prioritize solar solutions.
“To address that, that funding is being provided for us to solarise the institutions,” he added.
Meanwhile, Tribune Online reports during a tripartite meeting of the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, the UCH Management Management team of the IBEDC, on Monday, students of UI protested a 100-day power outage at UCH, prompting the Power Minister to assure them of electricity restoration. Aliyu confirmed that solar mini-grids will be deployed to UCH and four other universities to resolve similar challenges.
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“In the next six months, I will tell you that I have started the process of deploying mini-grids in an additional five universities. I will tell you that I have completed at least two of the eight mini-grids that I am deploying in the eight universities and one teaching hospital,” he stated.
The universities and teaching hospitals set to benefit from the solarization project include:
University of Ibadan (UI) & UCH
University of Lagos (UNILAG)
Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU)
University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN)
Ahmadu Bello University (ABU)
Aliyu further disclosed that key government agencies in Abuja and other locations will also be part of the initiative.
Continuing, the REA boss announced plans by the agency to, within six months, commission 60 mini-grids and initiate the deployment of 40 interconnect grids to enhance power reliability.
“We recently completed intervention in seven universities and two teaching hospitals where we provided them with hybrid mini-grid that will provide them with 24-hour reliable cost-effective electricity,” he stated.
“We have now started a new line of eight universities and one teaching hospital. The commissioning of the new phase will start as early as April this year,” Aliyu concluded.
and then