Off-grid electricity solutions facilitate learning and make universities more productive — Alausa

The Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, has said that off-grid solar solutions implemented in Nigerian educational institutions are improving the standard of learning.

Off-grid solutions are being implemented as part of the Energizing Education Program (EEP), executed by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA).

Speaking during an interview on the Afropolitan Podcast, Dr Alausa highlighted how unsustainable spending on public services and persistent national grid failures have historically undermined academic stability, paralyzed scientific research and lowered the general standard of living on campuses.

He explained that to ensure a reliable learning environment it is necessary to completely eliminate universities from conventional transmission lines.

According to the Minister, the transition of tertiary institutions to dedicated solar mini-grids will safeguard classrooms and student accommodation from recurring power outages.

“We are taking our campuses off the national grid with dedicated solar power. It is not possible to build a modern university system where students cannot read at night, laboratories lose power in the middle of experiments, and hospitals connected to our universities are forced to run on noisy and expensive diesel generators,” he said.

The Minister further noted that high energy costs and unreliable electricity have placed unsustainable financial pressure on university administrators.

“The burden of electricity tariffs has been one of the heaviest strains on university finances. Instead of universities squandering hundreds of millions each month on electricity bills, funds that are supposed to expand faculties or purchase equipment, we are solving the problem structurally with clean, captive energy that runs around the clock,” he said.

The Minister reaffirmed that providing sustained, self-sustaining empowerment to tertiary institutions constitutes a central pillar of the administration’s broader commitment to human capital development, positioning Nigerian universities as globally competitive research centers capable of anchoring long-term economic transformation.

He added that in addition to the immediate benefits, the government established the Renewable Energy Asset Management Company as a special vehicle to maintain the installed mini-grids.

“As minister, I don’t just want to abandon projects that will deteriorate after two years, we aim for sustainability that lasts beyond my mandate,” he said.