The federal government, through the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), broke ground on a 2-megawatt solar hybrid project at Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology (ADUSTECH), Wudil, in Kano State, on Friday. Valued at N3.8 billion, the project is part of President Bola Tinubu's Renewed Hope Solarisation initiative. It includes the installation of 200 solar-powered streetlights within the university. ECN Director-General Mustapha Abdullahi and Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Kingsley Tochukwu-Udeh (SAN) led the ceremony. Contractors have been given a strict three-month deadline to complete the work, with no changes allowed to the contract sum.
Abdullahi said the project aims to reduce ADUSTECH's monthly electricity bill of N22.4 million. He revealed that the campus has a population of 24,339, including 2,462 staff and 5,200 hostel bed spaces. Energy demand ranges between 12.3 and 16.4 megawatts, but the grid delivers less than the 8.26 megawatts recorded as connected load. On-site diesel backup is only 2.07 megavolt-amperes. The ECN recommends a 7-megawatt solar mini-grid as the full solution, based on a 59-hectare land assessment within 2.5 kilometres of the campus.
The contract was awarded to Safiatu Global Resources Limited. Abdullahi noted similar projects are underway at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital and Bayero University Kano. Each project follows technical audits, load assessments, and site surveys. Tochukwu-Udeh described the initiative as a strategic national policy, not philanthropy. ADUSTECH Vice-Chancellor Musa Tukur-Yakasai called the project a boost to academic and research capacity.
The Energy Commission says ADUSTECH needs 7 megawatts to meet demand but is getting only 2, leaving a gap the government claims to fix while spending N3.8 billion on an incomplete solution. The university's population of 24,339 will still face power shortages despite the project being hailed as transformative. Staff and students continue bearing the cost of unreliable energy, now with a partial fix presented as progress. The three-month deadline for completion offers no guarantee of lasting impact if the design falls short from the start.
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