By Folarin Kehinde, Abuja

The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, on Wednesday said some Nigerians had asked him to “slow down” the improvement in electricity supply because, according to him, their freezers were now working continuously.

Tegbe made the statement in Abuja while speaking at the commissioning of the 3-megawatt solar hybrid power project at Yakubu Gowon University, formerly the University of Abuja.

The minister said he had been receiving feedback from electricity consumers following improvements in power supply in some parts of the country.

“Places that didn’t have light at all for three months are now having 18 hours light. Some areas called me to say, look, I should slow down, that everything in their freezer is freezing.

“That is what freezer is meant to do. Let it freeze the food that needs to be frozen,” Tegbe said.

Tegbe said he had promised during his Senate screening that Nigerians would begin to see noticeable improvements in electricity supply within three to six months.

The minister, however, acknowledged the challenges facing the power sector, noting that some electricity infrastructure in the country was more than 40 years old.

“Some of the infrastructure we have in the electricity and power sector are more than 40 years old. We’re systematically replacing them, phasing them out and bringing new ones,” he said.

Tegbe also raised concerns over the vandalism of critical electricity infrastructure, disclosing that three major transmission towers in Birnin Kebbi had been brought down by vandals.

According to him, the affected towers were part of the infrastructure supplying electricity to Kebbi State and extending to Niger Republic.

He said the vandals attacked the foundations of the towers before bringing them down and cutting parts of the structures for sale in the scrap market.

Tegbe said the Federal Government had established a joint working committee involving the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, the Nigeria Police and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, to monitor and protect national electricity assets.

“You will not believe how many towers get pulled down by vandals,” he said.

He added that the government was working to ensure that vandalism of critical electricity infrastructure was treated as a serious criminal offence.

58,726 students to benefit

Speaking on the Yakubu Gowon University project, Tegbe said the facility combines a 3.3-megawatt solar array with 3MW AC output capacity and battery storage to provide electricity to critical university facilities.

He said the project would support lecture halls, laboratories, ICT facilities, administrative buildings, campus lighting and other essential services.

Tegbe said more than 58,726 students were expected to benefit from the project, which has 6,078 photovoltaic panels and 388 streetlights installed across the university.

He added that the project created 3,201 jobs during its implementation.

The minister said the battery storage capacity could be expanded to enable the project to provide electricity to additional parts of the university, including student hostels.

He said the Rural Electrification Agency, REA, would work with the university to address areas of the campus that still required improved lighting.

Tegbe also urged the university to use the facility as a platform for research into renewable energy, battery storage, smart metering, energy management, grid integration, cybersecurity and other areas of modern energy technology.

The Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency, Abba Abubakar Aliyu, described the project as a significant milestone under the Energising Education Programme.

Aliyu said the value of the programme should not be measured only by the megawatts of electricity generated but also by its impact on students, academic activities, research and the overall learning environment.

He said reliable electricity would enable laboratories to operate more effectively, strengthen digital services and reduce pressure on university operating budgets.

The REA boss also urged the university to use the infrastructure to advance research into distributed energy resources and develop solutions suited to Nigeria’s energy needs.

The Head of the Nigeria Electrification Project, Olufemi Akinyelure, said the significance of the project should be measured by the wider development opportunities created by reliable electricity.

“The government may not be in the business of making profit, but it must always be in the business of making progress. And perhaps no public investment yields a greater return than investment in education because when we power a university, we do not merely light buildings; we illuminate minds, enable innovation and strengthen the future of our nation,” Akinyelure said.

Also speaking, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Power, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, commended the Federal Government and the minister for implementing the Energising Education Programme.

Abaribe said reliable electricity was fundamental to the development of Nigeria’s education system, recalling that power supply in universities was more dependable when he was a student.

He, however, stressed that the sustainability of public infrastructure required the active participation of the communities where such projects were located.

Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of Yakubu Gowon University, Prof. Hakeem Fawehinmi, said dependable electricity was critical to the university’s academic mission.

Fawehinmi said a modern university could not effectively teach, conduct research, operate laboratories or sustain digital services without reliable power supply.

He expressed appreciation to the Federal Government and the Rural Electrification Agency for the intervention, describing the solar hybrid project as a major infrastructure investment in the institution.

He also called for continued collaboration among government agencies and the university to ensure that the project remained operational and delivered its intended benefits to students and staff.

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