ABUJA — Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, has disclosed that university campuses across Nigeria will be systematically taken off the national electricity grid and transitioned to dedicated solar-powered mini-grids.
Speaking in a recent interview, Alausa explained that persistent national grid failures have historically crippled academic stability, interrupted scientific research, and severely lowered the standard of living on campuses. He noted that moving higher institutions to off-grid, captive solar energy solutions will safeguard lecture halls, student accommodations, research laboratories, and university teaching hospitals from recurring power outages.
The minister stressed that the shift will also address the heavy financial burden placed on university administrators, who currently spend hundreds of millions of Naira monthly on electricity tariffs and expensive diesel generators. By deploying round-the-clock clean energy through the federal government’s Energizing Education Programme (EEP)—executed by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA)—universities can redirect critical funds toward expanding academic faculties, procuring equipment, and building modern learning infrastructure.
