•Abaribe demands facility ownership, maintenance

The federal government has directed the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to extend a reliable, 24-hour electricity supply from the newly commissioned 3MW solar hybrid power plant to all parts of the Yakubu Gowon University (formerly the University of Abuja) within six months.

While giving the directive during the commissioning of the solar power project, the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, noted that 140 female STEM students across the seven beneficiary institutions have been trained in renewable energy technologies under the programme.

The 3MW solar power project was developed under the federal government’s Energising Education Programme (EEP) Phase II at the institution.

Tegbe said the government would examine expanding the battery storage system to enable the facility to serve additional parts of the institution, particularly the areas raised by the vice chancellor and the Students’ Union Government.

Also, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Power, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, warned against poor maintenance and vandalism, urging the university community to take ownership of the new project rather than treat it as government property.

Meanwhile, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Hakeem Fawehinmi, has assured that the university will ensure that the investment is properly utilised and maintained, adding that the project also represents an investment in the university’s academic mission.

In the meantime, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of REA, Abba Aliyu, said the project was another EEP milestone. He disclosed that earlier phases of the programme had delivered over 100MW of clean energy infrastructure to 22 federal universities and three affiliated teaching hospitals.

According to him, the wider intervention was impacting over 300,000 students and 50,000 academic and administrative staff.