The federal government has unveiled plans to improve energy access in the education sector, with Wale Edun, the minister of finance and coordinating minister of Nigeria’s economy, disclosing an initiative to power 50 tertiary institutions using off-grid solar solutions.
Edun disclosed while speaking with journalists during the formalisation of the country engagement framework partnership agreement between Nigeria and the Islamic Development Bank on Monday, in Lagos, when he made known that energy is being provided for some Nigerian tertiary institutions, especially the hostels, apart from hostel building, which the government is also embarking upon.
“We have an initiative that is made for about 50 tertiary institutions to be powered by off-grid solar, so they can have a hybrid of the grid and off-grid solar, which means they have power 24-7.
“Besides, the federal government is providing other facilities, such as utilities, and water, but more importantly, access to the internet, to enable students to study as and when they want to, and connect to the resources of the day,” he said.
Recall BusinessDay earlier reported that for months, public universities across Nigeria have grappled with the debilitating effects of skyrocketing electricity tariffs, leaving teaching, research, and campus life in jeopardy.
Despite hosting faculties of engineering that produce graduates skilled in energy solutions, these institutions remain dependent on erratic grid electricity, unable to self-generate power on the scale required to sustain their operations.
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In the face of this, students have expressed frustration at the poor state of facilities resulting from erratic power supply. Laboratory sessions are frequently canceled, and access to internet services is limited due to power outages.
A postgraduate student at the University of Ibadan noted that “research has become a nightmare,” while others lament the diminished quality of education and living standards.
The erratic power supply on Nigerian campuses has prompted students’ protests across the country in recent months.
Ivory towers in darkness: High electricity tariff threatens Nigerian universities’ growth
Stakeholders believe that the federal government’s provision of off-grid solar energy is an important intervention that will serve the education sector, particularly the tertiary education sector well.
The minister of finance, speaking on the Islamic Bank Group Day in Nigeria, said, “We have engaged with the group to express the country’s desire to do larger-scale projects.
“We have an infrastructure deficit that we must quickly try and make up; so we need large-scale projects in roads, in rail, in ports, and that’s actually what is being done.”
“It is not all profit-making business, it also includes social, health, and the educational sectors, where we are partnering with the IsDB Group to intervene for the benefit of Nigerians<” he said.
