The Federal Government has announced plans to take university campuses across Nigeria off the national electricity grid through the deployment of dedicated solar-powered mini-grids.
Minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, disclosed this in a recent interview, saying the initiative is aimed at providing reliable electricity for teaching, research and other critical university operations.
According to the minister, persistent failures of the national grid have over the years disrupted academic activities, affected scientific research and negatively impacted campus life.
‘Universities Need Reliable Power’
Alausa said universities cannot provide a modern learning environment when students, laboratories and university hospitals are frequently affected by power outages.
He said dedicated solar power systems would provide campuses with a more stable electricity supply while reducing their dependence on conventional transmission lines.
“We are taking our campuses off the national grid with dedicated solar power. You cannot build a modern university system where students cannot read at night, laboratories lose power in the middle of experiments, and hospitals attached to our universities are forced to run on noisy, expensive diesel generators,” he said.
Solar Power to Reduce Universities’ Electricity Burden
The minister also highlighted the financial pressure electricity costs place on Nigerian universities.
He explained that universities currently spend substantial amounts on electricity bills and diesel-powered generators, diverting funds that could otherwise be invested in academic facilities, equipment and faculty development.
Alausa said the Federal Government’s approach was to address the problem structurally by providing dedicated, clean energy systems capable of supplying electricity around the clock.
“The burden of electricity tariffs has been one of the heaviest strains on university finances. Instead of universities sinking hundreds of millions into electricity bills every single month, funds that should be expanding faculties or buying equipment, we are solving this structurally with clean, captive energy that operates around the clock,” he added.
25 Universities and Teaching Hospitals Targeted
The initiative is linked to the Federal Government’s Energising Education Programme (EEP), under which solar energy solutions are being deployed to universities and teaching hospitals across the country.
According to the report, at least 25 universities and teaching hospitals are being targeted under the programme.
The move is expected to strengthen electricity reliability across tertiary institutions while supporting teaching, research, healthcare services and other essential university activities.
