The Federal Government has approved contracts worth ₦68.7 billion for two ambitious power projects targeted at revitalising electricity supply in Nigerian universities, teaching hospitals, and rural communities. The move, announced by Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu after Thursday’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, underscores the Tinubu administration’s commitment to improving access to stable, affordable energy in key sectors.
Adelabu said the projects were part of a strategic push to transform the power sector and relieve critical institutions of crippling energy costs that have, in many cases, disrupted academic and healthcare activities.
One of the initiatives, under the Energising Education Programme, involves contracts for engineering, procurement, and construction services aimed at delivering renewable energy to eight major universities and their teaching hospitals. These include the University of Lagos, Ahmadu Bello University (Zaria), Obafemi Awolowo University (Ile-Ife), University of Nigeria (Nsukka), University of Ibadan and the University College Hospital, University of Calabar, and Federal University Wukari in Taraba State.
“This is another case of ensuring that universities enjoy uninterrupted electricity,” Adelabu stated, noting that some institutions have faced near-crisis situations due to unreliable power supply, with many spending exorbitantly or facing total blackouts that disrupt learning and medical services.
He pointed out that previous renewable energy deployments—some done in partnership with the World Bank—have already yielded results in institutions like the University of Abuja, Usmanu Danfodiyo University in Sokoto, Nigerian Defence Academy, and the University of Agriculture in Makurdi. The new projects, he said, would complement those efforts and further accelerate energy access in the education and health sectors. Implementation is expected to take between seven and nine months.
The second contract approval focuses on extending renewable energy to rural communities, specifically through the Rural Electrification Agency’s Agricultural Centres of Excellence Projects. This initiative aims not only to light up homes but also to empower small and medium-scale enterprises with solar-powered processing equipment.
“This is not limited to just lighting up the households,” the minister explained. “It also includes ensuring productive use of equipment powered by solar sources… especially those processing agricultural produce.”
The intervention is set to boost rural productivity, improve local economies, and strengthen Nigeria’s agriculture value chain by enabling efficient, solar-driven processing hubs.
The total value of the contracts—₦68.7 billion inclusive of 7.5% VAT—will be delivered within a maximum of three months for the rural projects, according to Adelabu.
“This government is empowering rural communities to enjoy good livelihoods in their homes and also to put their effort into productivity to improve their prosperity,” he said.
Both projects signal a broader national energy strategy that not only tackles power shortages but also aims to drive development through education, healthcare, and rural enterprise.