Minister: 24 tertiary institutions powered by solar energy

The Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, says 24 federal tertiary institutions have been powered by solar energy under the “Energising Education Project” of President Bola Tinubu’s Administration.

Alausa disclosed this at the Collaboration Agreement Signing Ceremony with the Vice-Chancellors of beneficiary institutions in Abuja on Wednesday, May 7, 2025.

The minister stated that eight more universities have signed collaboration agreements to join the fourth phase of the project.

Before the signing ceremony,  the minister undertook an inspection tour of the solar powered facility at the University of Abuja, now Yakubu Gowon University.

Alausa who described the project as a “new day for Nigeria” hailed the transformative initiative under Tinubu, aimed at providing uninterrupted power supply to Nigeria’s federal tertiary institutions.

He said the projects had wide-reaching benefits for education and the economy.

Alausa said the University of Abuja, which now boasts of a solar farm, comprising 6,000 photovoltaic panels, is generating approximately 3.3 megawatts of electricity daily, enough to power the campus round-the-clock.

The minister stated: “This project brings continuous, 24-hour electricity to our institutions.

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“It allows for increased academic activity, powers laboratories and libraries throughout the day and night, and improves living and learning conditions for both students and faculty.

“Any campus is a community by itself. With constant power supply, you unleash high economic activity.”

He, therefore, challenged Vice Chancellors of universities on innovative and creative ways of sustaining the project, noting that before 2027, every tertiary institution would have renewable energy generation.

On his part, the Managing Director of Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Abba Aliyu said the phases 1, 2, and 3 of the project have so far impacted over 600,000 students and 50,000 academic staffers.

Aliyu stated that the project had also generated over 100 megawatts of electricity to power university campuses and teaching hospitals.

The eight new beneficiary institutions include Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; University of Nigeria, Nsukka; and Federal University, Wukari, Taraba state.

Others are Federal University Dutse; University of Benin; University of Ibadan; Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife in Osun State; and University of Lagos.

The Star