BUK students left in darkness as N5.6bn solar plant fails two years after launch

Barely two years after its inauguration, Bayero University, Kano (BUK), has been plunged into irregular electricity supply following the collapse of its N5.6 billion solar hybrid power plant.

The 3.5-megawatt facility, commissioned in September 2019 by then Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, was once celebrated as Africa’s largest off-grid solar project.

The plant, executed by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) under the Energising Education Programme and built by Greek firm METKA, powered lecture halls, offices, hostels, and staff quarters during the day, cutting the university’s energy costs by more than 60 percent.

However, by 2021, it developed faults and was shut down, forcing BUK to rely once again on diesel generators and the national grid.

Staff and students said the collapse ended a period of stable daytime power that had improved learning, security, and productivity across campus.

University workers attributed the failure to overuse, inadequate storage facilities, high maintenance costs, and limited technical involvement from BUK during the project’s implementation.

Inflation and prolonged inactivity reportedly worsened the damage, while electricity materials depreciated over time.

In response, the REA has announced plans to revive and expand the facility to 6MW under a N100 billion federal solarisation programme.

Speaking at the launch of the upgrade on November 20, 2025, REA Managing Director Dr. Abba Aliyu Abubakar said the project would undergo a full overhaul to ensure 24-hour power supply.

BUK Vice-Chancellor, Professor Haruna Musa, emphasized that the university’s experts would now be fully involved in the project to guarantee sustainability, noting that the institution currently spends over N130 million monthly on electricity.

While staff and students welcomed the intervention, they urged strict accountability to prevent a repeat of the failure.