Power Minister Joseph Tegbe said a newly completed and commissioned 3-megawatt solar mini-grid at Yakubu Gowon University will improve electricity access for the institution’s 58,726 students. The project, commissioned on Wednesday, is located at the university formerly known as the University of Abuja.
At a glance
- Capacity: 3 megawatts
- Beneficiaries: 58,726 students
- Programme: Federal Government’s Energising Education Programme
Tegbe said the installation should support research, cut the university’s dependence on diesel-powered generators and reduce strain on its operating budget. He linked the project to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, saying public investment in power was being channelled toward essential services and productive economic activity.
The minister added that the government’s continued spending on electricity reflected a consistent policy direction and a long-term commitment to improving living conditions.
Rural Electrification Agency Managing Director Abba Aliyu said the project’s impact should be measured beyond its generating capacity. He pointed to better-equipped laboratories, lower financial pressure on the university and safer conditions for students and staff as key benefits.
Aliyu said the Energising Education Programme had shown that every infrastructure project must be assessed against its performance several years after completion, including whether it would keep delivering value five years into the future.
Yakubu Gowon University Vice-Chancellor Professor Akinwunmi Babatunde Fawehinmi said dependable power was essential to effective teaching, academic research and the creation of a suitable learning environment.
The mini-grid forms part of the Federal Government’s Energising Education Programme, known as EEP.
