The Federal Executive Council (FEC) Thursday approved ₦68.7 billion contracts to drive power projects in elected universities, teaching hospitals and rural enterprises.
Minister of Power Mr Adebayo Adelabu said this while briefing State House correspondents at the end of the FEC meeting chaired by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Abuja.
He said the projects demonstrate the present administration’s resolve to reform the power sector and ensure consistent power supply to vital institutions.
“This administration is bent on ensuring the transformation in our power sector and improving supply of power to two key sectors for national existence,” he said.
He said the first project involves awarding contracts for engineering, procurement and construction of the Energizing Education Programme through the Rural Electrification Agency’s Special Intervention Fund for Infrastructure Development.
He said the aim is to “relieve our educational institutions and teaching hospitals of the burden of huge energy costs while guaranteeing reliable and good-quality electricity to them.”
He said the projects would be executed in eight universities and their teaching hospitals including University of Lagos, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, University of Nigeria Nsukka, University of Ibadan (including University College Hospital), University of Calabar and Federal University Wukari.
He said the project implementation would span approximately seven to nine months.
“This is another case of ensuring that universities enjoy uninterrupted electricity. Our universities will never be the same again,” he said.
He said the second contract was on procuring renewable energy infrastructure for the Rural Electrification Agency’s Agricultural Centres of Excellence Projects.
“This is not limited to just lighting up the households. It also includes ensuring productive use of equipment powered by solar sources. The intention is to light up our rural households and power our rural businesses — especially those involved in processing agricultural produce,” he said.
He said the project would supply solar-powered processing equipment for small and medium enterprises in rural areas.
“This government is empowering rural communities to enjoy good livelihood in their homes and also to put their effort into productivity to improve their prosperity,” he said.
He said successful installations were done at the University of Abuja, where solar power now operates efficiently, and the 12-megawatt set up at University of Nigeria (UNN) now swerving the university and its teaching hospital.
He said other projects were executed at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto (about eight megawatts), the Nigerian Defence Academy (2.6-megawatt solar system) and Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi.