The Nigerian Ministries of Works and Housing and Environment has moved away from receiving power supply from the national electricity grid, opting to utilize its own inhouse electricity generator by means of solar power.
Both ministries are headquartered in Mabushi, Federal Capital Territory, and to meet the power supply requirement of the five blocks secretariat, there is now a 1.5 megawatts solar micro-grid system.
Babatunde Fashola made the announcement on Tuesday, stating that the ministries would henceforth get their power supply from a 1.5 megawatts solar micro-grid system, which was inaugurated at the Mabushi, Abuja headquarters of his ministry.
Minister Fashola speaking about the new generator expressed appreciation to the members of the Federal Executive Council who approved the acquisition and installation of the generator on March 20, 2019, according to a punch publication.
“I express our ministry’s appreciation to members of the Federal Executive Council who voted to entrust our ministry with this project.
“What we have delivered, based on the mandate of the Federal Executive Council, is a 1.52MW solar system that will provide uninterrupted power supply to five blocks housing the Ministry of Works and Housing and Ministry of Environment and Lands.”
The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), who was represented at the generator commissioning project by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, said the solar grid project was in line with the Federal Government’s pursuit.
He said, “For many years and indeed decades, our pursuit of electrical energy solutions has followed a single track of on-grid power until recently, when off-grid power became a focal policy pursuit of this administration.
“The impact of that policy shift is that access to small scale and off-grid electricity is increasingly becoming available to Nigerians in marketplaces, universities, and business premises.”
It is time that Real Estate companies and Energy companies partner with each other to develop and deploy similar small scale and off-grid electricity to residential parts of towns and cities, block by block.
Nnamdi Maduakor is a Writer, Investor and Entrepreneur
