By Oke Peter

The Federal Government has commissioned a 3MW captive solar hybrid power project at Yakubu Gowon University, Abuja, to improve electricity supply for nearly 40,000 students and more than 3,500 staff.


The project, delivered under Phase II of the Energizing Education Programme (EEP), is being implemented by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) through the World Bank-funded Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP).


Speaking at the commissioning on Wednesday, the Minister of Power, Joseph O. Tegbe, said the investment underscored the connection between Nigeria’s energy transition and human capital development.

•Cross section of members of the university community in a group photograph with the Honourable Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, during the event on Wednesday.


“There is perhaps no better place to demonstrate the practical value of Nigeria’s energy transition than a university,” Tegbe said.


He explained that universities needed reliable electricity to support teaching, research, healthcare, technology, administration and digital infrastructure.


According to him, the commissioning marked the beginning of the project’s most important phase, adding that its long-term performance would determine the true value of the investment.


The minister also linked the project’s sustainability to the recently established Renewable Asset Management Company (RAMCO), which is expected to strengthen the management and performance of renewable energy assets.


The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of REA, Abba Aliyu, said the Energizing Education Programme had expanded beyond the provision of electricity infrastructure to support education and human capital development.


“When the Energizing Education Programme was conceived, the ambition was straightforward: to change what reliable electricity could mean for Nigeria’s public universities,” Aliyu said.


He said the programme was designed to create the conditions for students to learn, lecturers to teach, researchers to work and laboratories to function with greater certainty.


REA said renewable energy infrastructure had been delivered to 22 federal universities and three affiliated teaching hospitals under the programme, deploying more than 100MW of clean energy and impacting over 600,000 students and 50,000 academic and administrative staff nationwide.


Aliyu said the agency’s experience had reinforced the need to plan for the entire life cycle of energy assets, including construction, commissioning, operation, maintenance and long-term performance.


“We have become very good at asking, ‘How do we build more?’ We must now become equally rigorous about asking, ‘How do we protect what we have already built?’” he said.


He added that the experience had contributed to the thinking behind RAMCO and would guide efforts to attract private capital, expand electricity access and protect public investment.


The Head of the Nigeria Electrification Project, Olufemi Akinyelure, said the project’s significance should be measured by the development opportunities created through reliable electricity.


“When we power a university, we do not merely light buildings; we illuminate minds, enable innovation and strengthen the future of our nation,” Akinyelure said.


The Vice-Chancellor of Yakubu Gowon University, Professor Hakeem Babatunde Fawehinmi, described the facility as an investment in the institution’s academic mission.


Fawehinmi said dependable electricity was essential for effective teaching, meaningful research, laboratory operations, digital services and the provision of a conducive learning environment.


He assured stakeholders that the university would ensure the facility was properly utilised and maintained.


Also speaking, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Power, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the project reflected the connection between energy policy, implementation and improvements in the lives of Nigerians.


Abaribe said the legislature would continue to provide oversight and support for power-sector investments, stressing the need for accountability and sustainability.


He also emphasised the importance of university ownership and appropriate arrangements for the operation, maintenance and protection of the facility throughout its useful life.


Beyond electricity generation, the project includes a Renewable Energy Workshop and Training Centre designed to support practical learning and skills development in renewable energy technologies.


The Energizing Education Programme also incorporates a female STEM component, providing students with practical exposure to renewable energy and opportunities within the sector.


The Yakubu Gowon University project was delivered through collaboration between the Federal Government, REA, the Nigeria Electrification Project, the World Bank, the university and EMONE Energy Solutions.


With the facility now commissioned, stakeholders are expected to focus on ensuring its long-term performance and translating improved electricity supply into better learning conditions, stronger research and increased opportunities for innovation.