Captive Solar Energy to Free Varsity Funds For Faculties, Equipment—Minister

Th minister of Education, Dr Maruf Tunji Alausa, has said off‑grid solar solutions being deployed across Nigerian educational institutions are improving the standard of learning, while easing the heavy financial burden of power on universities.

The off‑grid solutions are being rolled out under the Energizing Education Programme (EEP), executed by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA). [user_provided] Speaking during an interview on the Afropolitan Podcast, Dr Alausa outlined how unsustainable utility expenditures and persistent national grid failures have historically undermined academic stability, crippled scientific research and lowered the overall standard of campus living.

He explained that delivering a dependable learning environment requires taking universities off conventional transmission lines entirely. According to the Minister, transitioning tertiary institutions to dedicated solar mini‑grids will safeguard lecture halls and student accommodations from recurring power outages.

“We are taking our campuses off the national grid with dedicated solar power. You cannot build a modern university system where students cannot read at night, laboratories lose power in the middle of experiments, and hospitals attached to our universities are forced to run on noisy, expensive diesel generators,” he said.

High energy costs straining university finances

The minister further noted that high energy costs and unreliable power supply have placed an unsustainable financial squeeze on university administrators.

“The burden of electricity tariffs has been one of the heaviest strains on university finances. Instead of universities sinking hundreds of millions into electricity bills every single month, funds that should be expanding faculties or buying equipment, we are solving this structurally with clean, captive energy that operates around the clock,” he stated.

Alausa reaffirmed that providing constant, self‑sustaining power to tertiary institutions forms a central pillar of the administration’s broader human capital development drive, positioning Nigerian universities as globally competitive research centres capable of anchoring long‑term economic transformation.

Asset management company to sustain mini‑grids

Beyond the immediate benefits, the government has established the Renewable Energy Asset Management Company as a special‑purpose vehicle to maintain the mini‑grids deployed.

“As Minister, I don’t just want to leave projects that will deteriorate after two years,” he said. “We are aiming for sustainability that will last beyond my tenure.”

With the shift to captive solar energy under the EEP, the Education Ministry expects more stable power for campuses, reduced exposure to grid failures and diesel costs, and the redirection of savings from electricity bills into faculties, equipment and research.