• Adelabu laments it took 40 years to add 2,000MW to national grid
• Blames sector rot on past neglect
The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) and the Lagos State Government have entered a new deal with a focus on powering public institutions through rooftop solar solutions, a development aiming to accelerate clean energy deployment in the state.
The agreement, formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and signed at the Lagos State Energy Summit, is part of REA’s state-by-state initiative and the government’s plan to decentralise electricity access through the 2023 Electricity Act.
Under the new partnership, the REA and Lagos State government aim to replace the state’s fragmented energy landscape, which is dominated by over four million diesel generators, with reliable, renewable energy solutions that serve hospitals, schools, and other public facilities.
Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr Obafemi Hamzat, who represented Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu at the summit, described the partnership as a bold step toward solving the state’s energy access and distribution gaps.
“We have excess power generation, but it is misdirected and not evenly distributed. This collaboration with REA will help bridge that gap, especially for our public institutions,” he said.
Also speaking on the scope of the initiative, REA’s Managing Director and CEO, Abba Abubakar Aliyu, announced plans to launch several flagship projects in Lagos, including Nigeria’s first floating solar photovoltaic (PV) plant. The eight megawatts facility is expected to power Lagos State University.
Aliyu also revealed plans for a $150 million lithium battery assembly plant at the Lekki Free Trade Zone and the establishment of a Renewable Energy University to bolster innovation and local capacity in the clean energy sector.
In another development, Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, yesterday, in Abuja said the country added only 2,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity to its national grid in the past 40 years, blaming the development on consequence of long-standing neglect by successive administrations.
Adelabu made the remarks while hosting a World Bank delegation, where he insisted on the current administration’s commitment to reversing decades of underperformance in the sector.
The minister said President Bola Tinubu had made power sector reform a top priority, providing full backing for initiatives aimed at improving electricity generation, transmission, and distribution.
He attributed the current progress to the President’s “seriousness, determination, and understanding of what it takes to transform a nation.”
Adelabu, however, criticised previous governments for failing to execute key projects, citing the delay in the Siemens power deal signed in 2019.
