The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved ₦68.7 billion for key electricity projects targeting universities and teaching hospitals across Nigeria.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, disclosed this after Thursday’s FEC meeting, chaired by President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja.
He said the projects reflect the government’s commitment to ensuring a steady electricity supply in vital sectors such as health and education.
According to Adelabu, the university project will involve engineering, procurement, and construction under the Energising Education Programme, led by the Rural Electrification Agency.
“This initiative aims to ease the energy cost burden on universities and hospitals by providing reliable, high-quality electricity,” Adelabu stated.
He described the current electricity situation in many institutions as “disturbing” and a threat to effective service delivery.
“The lack of stable power supply has created crisis situations in some schools and hospitals, with institutions unable to afford local electricity,” he explained.
He noted that blackouts and occasional industrial actions have occurred due to unreliable power supply.
Adelabu added that similar renewable energy projects have already been implemented in some institutions with support from the World Bank.
Completed projects include the University of Abuja, the University of Niger (12MW solar), and Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (8MW). Others include the Nigerian Defence Academy (2.6MW) and the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, which also runs on solar power.
The newly approved funding will support electrification projects in eight additional universities and teaching hospitals nationwide.
These include the University of Lagos, the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, the University of Ibadan and its University College Hospital, the University of Calabar and the Federal University, Wukari.
Adelabu said the new projects are expected to be completed within seven to nine months.
“This is another step to ensure our universities enjoy uninterrupted electricity. Our institutions will never be the same again,” he noted.
The second approved project targets Agricultural Centres of Excellence in rural areas, using solar energy technology.
“This goes beyond lighting homes; it supports the productive use of solar-powered equipment in rural areas,” Adelabu said.
He explained that the goal is to light up rural homes and power agro-processing businesses using solar systems. The initiative will deliver solar-powered processing tools to small and micro agricultural enterprises in underserved communities.
