Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Energizing Education Solar Power Plant

• Share:

SPEECH BY HIS EXCELLENCY, PROF. YEMI OSINBAJO, SAN GCON, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA AT THE ABUBAKAR TAFAWA BALEWA UNIVERSITY ENERGIZING EDUCATION SOLAR POWER PLANT LAUNCH ON THE 11^TH OF FEBRUARY, 2021

PROTOCOLS

I’m excited to join you today as we commission the 1.12MW Captive Solar Hybrid Power Plant. This is yet another milestone in the Energizing Education program. The objective of the program as you know is that all 37 Federal Universities and 7 Teaching Hospitals will be provided with Captive Energy Solutions that will ensure sustainable and reliable power for students and faculty.

Already 22,000 students and faculties across the country are connected to completed projects in Kano, Ebony, Benue, and of course, now in Bauchi.

But apart from providing a reliable source of captive power for these institutions, each institution will have a renewable energy workshop and a training center to provide training for students on renewable energy.

The project also entails the installation of streetlights and retrofitting of existing ones for better illumination and provision of security on the campus and its environs. There is provision for on-the-job training for 20 female students undergoing STEM courses in the beneficiary institutions. The training focuses on the design and installation of various components of the project.

Renewables are the fastest-growing segment of energy today and will certainly be a key economic driver well into the future. Indeed, Nigeria intends to have 30% of its electricity supply from renewables by the year 2030. Our future workforce, therefore, needs to be ready for this energy transition. In this regard, the training centers constitute a critical additional benefit of these projects.

Besides, this project reaffirms the Federal Government of Nigeria’s commitment to global best practice as we transition to cleaner sources of energy in line with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

These projects being implemented by the Rural Electrification Agency are strategic to fulfilling our commitment to the agreement, as they strive to reduce Nigeria’s carbon footprint. The leveraging of renewable energy technologies is in line with the Federal Government’s mandate and related activities. Nigeria’s plan to reduce carbon emissions by 20% unconditionally and 45% with international support by 2030, aims to limit the damaging effects of climate change.

While commending the implementing agency, the Rural Electrification Agency for their hard work and resourcefulness in the implementation of this programme, I must charge you to redouble your efforts in rolling out the Energizing Education program with speed and quality across the country.

I’d also like to acknowledge the contractor, Sterling and Wilson Nigeria Limited, for working collaboratively with the REA to complete this project. Most importantly, I acknowledge the strong display of partnership, between the Federal Ministry of Power, the Federal Ministry of Environment, the Federal Ministry of Education, and the National Universities Commission, and the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, in coming together in making this project such a huge success.

Today, I join you in rejoicing with the students and faculty of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, as this Captive Solar Hybrid Power Plant is commissioned.

Congratulations everyone and thank you very much.

God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.