The federal government on Wednesday commissioned a 3MW solar hybrid power project at the Yakubu Gowon University, formerly University of Abuja, with the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, promising to extend electricity coverage to other parts of the institution within six months.
Tegbe, who spoke at the inauguration of the project implemented under the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) EnergisingEducation Programme Phase 2, through the Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP), stressed that the government would work to expand the project’s coverage.
He added that increasing the battery storage capacity would enable the system to serve additional areas of the university.
The project combines a 3.3MW solar array with 3MW AC output capacity and 2 megawatt-hours of battery storage to support critical loads beyond solar hours.
Tegbe said the intervention was particularly important because universities require reliable electricity for teaching, research, healthcare, technology, administration, security and digital infrastructure.
He emphasised that the project would also reduce reliance on diesel and ease pressure on institutional budgets while improving the learning environment.
The minister disclosed that 388 streetlights had also been provided at the university to improve illumination and campus security, adding that additional dark spots would be addressed as battery capacity was increased.
Tegbe said the Yakubu Gowon University project was one of 15 universities and three teaching institutions covered under the second phase of the Energising Education Programme.
He said the federal government was committed not only to commissioning renewable energy projects but also to ensuring their sustainability through proper maintenance and asset management.
“Commissioning is the first phase. The second phase is sustainability. Now, sustainability means maintaining those infrastructures, replacing those infrastructures, and also oiling that infrastructure,” Tegbe said.
He identified the recently launched Renewable Asset Management Company (RAMCO) as part of the government’s strategy for maintaining and optimising renewable energy assets.
Tegbe also announced plans for a similar arrangement for national grid assets, stressing that investments in electricity infrastructure must be protected from vandalism and other forms of damage.
He said the ministry had established a joint working committee involving the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) to monitor and protect critical national electricity assets.
The minister also highlighted the programme’s technical training component, saying 20 students from each of the 15 participating universities were being trained in areas including soil testing, installation and commissioning of renewable energy infrastructure.
He said the 300 students involved in the programme would be tracked to facilitate opportunities for them in electricity distribution companies, generation companies and the REA.
Earlier, the Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency, Abba Aliyu, said the programme had delivered renewable energy infrastructure to 22 federal universities and three affiliated teaching hospitals, providing more than 100MW of clean energy.
Aliyu said the programme was positively impacting more than 300,000 students and over 50,000 academic and administrative staff.
“The true value of Energising Education Programme is not measured by the megawatts. It is measured by improved lighting environment, laboratories that can function more reliably, safer campuses, reduced pressure on university operating budget, and the confidence it gives the institution to plan around reliable power,” he said.
He said the government must look beyond the commissioning of renewable energy projects to their long-term sustainability, stressing that infrastructure must be properly maintained, monitored and operated.
He urged the university to use the project not only as an electricity source but also as a platform for research and innovation in renewable energy, battery storage, grid integration, energy management, smart metering, cybersecurity and climate resilience.
Also, head of the Nigeria electrification project, Olufemi Akinyelure, said the significance of the project should be measured by the wider development opportunities reliable electricity creates.
“The government may not be in the business of making profit, but it must always be in the business of making progress. And perhaps no public investment yields a greater return than investment in education because when we power a university, we do not merely light buildings; we illuminate minds, enable innovation and strengthen the future of our nation,” Akinyelure said.
The Vice-Chancellor of Yakubu Gowon University, Prof. Hakeem Fawehinmi, described the project as a major infrastructure investment that would strengthen the institution’s academic mission.
Fawehinmi said dependable electricity was essential for effective teaching, meaningful research, laboratory operations, digital services and the creation of a conducive learning environment.
“A university such as our own cannot teach effectively, conduct research meaningfully, operate its laboratories, sustain digital services or even provide the conducive environment required for learning and innovation without dependable power supply,” he said.
He said the university, with about 40,000 students and more than 3,500 staff, had substantial electricity demands which the project would help address.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Power, Enyinnaya Abaribe, commended the federal government and the minister for the intervention, stressing that reliable electricity was fundamental to the development of tertiary institutions.
Emmanuel Addeh
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