Aso Rock to exit national grid by March — Perm Sec

The Aso Rock Presidential Villa will fully disconnect from the national electricity grid by March 2026 following the completion of its solar power installation, the State House Permanent Secretary, Temitope Fashedemi, has announced.

Fashedemi disclosed this on Wednesday while defending the State House’s 2026 budget before the Senate Committee on Special Duties at the National Assembly in Abuja. Details of the session were later shared with State House correspondents by the Presidency.

According to him, the solar system was completed toward the end of 2025 and has been undergoing tests since December, with a full transition expected in March.

“We are hopeful that maybe by March we’ll be able to do a full cutover,” he said, noting that the project would significantly reduce the government’s electricity costs.

He cited the State House Medical Centre as evidence of the system’s effectiveness. The facility installed its own solar power in May 2025 and has since operated without relying on generators.

“Since that time, the generator in that State House Medical Centre has not been put on for one minute,” Fashedemi said. “Only a couple of months, we used three per cent from AEDC. The rest has been strictly from the solar and the battery storage system.”

The Federal Government allocated N10bn for the “Solarisation of the Villa with Solar Mini Grid” project in 2025, a move that drew criticism from some Nigerians who viewed it as an admission that the country’s electricity challenges remain unresolved. The 2026 Appropriation Bill includes an additional N7bn for the project.

Defending the initiative earlier, the Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Mustapha Abdullahi, described it as unsustainable for the Villa to continue paying an estimated N47bn annually in electricity bills. Presidential aide Bayo Onanuga also referenced the White House’s use of solar energy as justification.

Before the solar transition, the Villa had accumulated significant electricity debts. In February 2024, AEDC listed the complex among top government debtors with an outstanding bill of N923.87m. After reconciliation, the amount was reduced to N342.35m and promptly settled on President Bola Tinubu’s directive.

Fashedemi said the testing phase also uncovered instances of overbilling by AEDC, including charges for electricity not supplied. He added that the reconciliation process is ongoing to address these legacy liabilities.

Once the switch to solar is complete, the Villa’s ageing generators—installed when the complex was built—may no longer be required except for backup.

“We believe the solar infrastructure will suffice,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Senate Committee Chairman, Senator Kaka Lawan, criticised the N127m allocation for new SUVs in the State House budget, describing it as inadequate for acquiring secure vehicles.

“It cannot buy even a bulletproof tokunbo,” he said, directing the Budget Office to review the allocation upward to ensure official vehicles meet security standards.

Lawan also commended the State House for promptly appearing before the committee, urging other ministries, departments, and agencies to follow suit.