TINUBU ADMINISTRATION VOWS TO PROVIDE 24-HOUR POWER SUPPLY TO ALL TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS
The Presidency has assured that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is committed to ensuring that all higher institutions benefit from a 24-hour power supply to enhance education.
This assurance was given by Senior Special Assistant on Students’ Engagement to the President, Comrade Sunday Asefon, during a working visit to the Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Abba Abubakar Aliyu, in Abuja.
The Federal Government has already spent over N38,965,147 on power generation in several universities in Nigeria as part of the first phase of the Energizing Education Programme (EEP). This initiative aims to provide reliable power via solar hybrid power plants to 37 federal universities and 7 affiliated university teaching hospitals.
The recent increase in electricity tariffs has significantly impacted public universities, with some paying between N150 million and N300 million monthly for electricity bills. To address this challenge, the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Power and the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), initiated the EEP.
According to a document from the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), the EEP is being implemented in phases due to budgetary constraints. The first phase, costing over N38 billion, has been completed, and the solar hybrid power plants have been handed over to the beneficiary institutions.
The second phase, currently in the pre-commissioning stage, is expected to be officially launched in the fourth quarter of 2024, while the third phase, now under construction, is expected to be commissioned by the second quarter of 2025.
