By Bashir Bello
The Federal Government has earmarked N300 billion in the 2025 budget to solarize tertiary medical institutions and federal universities across the country.
The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, Abubakar Bichi, disclosed this while flagging off the solarization project at the federal government-owned Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, AKTH.
Bichi said the institutions were lagging behind in terms of uninterrupted power supply, hence the need to opt for solar as a source of power to ensure efficiency and effective service delivery.
According to him, “I had a thorough discussion with Mr. President that we really have to do something about our hospitals, as well as our universities. That they are really lagging behind in terms of issues of power and they have brilliant doctors, brilliant nurses, but still they are looking to have constant power so that they can operate properly. And he gave me the go-ahead to domicile the money into the 2025 budget. So we provided about N300 billion in 2025 for all our tertiary medical institutions, as well as all our federal universities.
“Here in Kano, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, AKTH, will go with six to seven megawatts of solarization. Bayero University, Kano, will go with about five to six megawatts as well.
“We also discussed about the state universities. Kano University of Science and Technology, Wudil, will provide about four megawatts. And Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital here in Kano is a state hospital, not federal government hospital. But because, you know, we have pressure. Kano is the largest population in Nigeria. We have more than 20 million people. Of course, AKTH is not enough, you know? So we have discussed with the executive governor of Kano State. We will provide two to three megawatt to Murtala Mohammed Specialist Hospital and Nasarawa Hospital,” he said.
The lawmaker representing Bichi Federal Constituency further tongue-lashed critics of the Tinubu-led administration who accused him of favouring the South over the North in terms of allocation of projects, describing it as untrue.
“Also, we have so many critical projects for these hospitals, AKTH. I provided N26 billion for this hospital alone in 2025. We have an accident and emergency, heart surgery equipment, stroke center, radiology complex, transplant equipment, and family medicine complex. So we provided about N26 billion for a mini-Kano teaching hospital alone. This is the first in the history of these hospitals. We have never got the budget up to that amount from the beginning of this hospital to date.
“I want the public to understand the president of this country mean well to this country. He love Nigeria, he love Northern Nigeria, he love South, he love everybody. If someone is doing well, we have to say it. Some people are saying the president is more interested in the South. It is not true. If he doesn’t like the Northern part of this country, he will not agree to domicile this huge amount of money into these facilities. There’s no way. But currently, we have decided to take a mini-Kano teaching hospital as major priority hospital in the entire Northern Nigeria,” Bichi however, stated.
Similarly, the Minister of Innovation Science and Technology, Dr. Uche Nnaji, emphasized that the solarization programme of the renewed hope agenda will drastically reduce the unsustainable monthly electricity bill of N150 million naira and the cost of diesel running into millions of naira at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital.
“The expert-prescribed solution is a decentralized, robust, and intelligent 4-megawatt solar mini-grid, with plans to scale up to 7 megawatts, to address this financial and operational burden.
“This presidential initiative is anchored by Hon. Abubakar Bichi, a son of Kano State, and championed through the Ministry via the Energy Commission of Nigeria, which serves as the execution engine room,” he said.
Earlier, the Chief Medical Director of Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Prof. Abdulrahman Sheshe, commended the Federal Government for the intervention aimed at resolving the energy crisis at the teaching hospital.
He explained that the hospital, with an over 700-bed capacity, requires a stable and sustainable power source to cater to the healthcare needs of patients from across the country and neighbouring countries.
Meanwhile, the Director General of the Energy Commission, Mustapha Abdullahi, assured that the solarization programme is a National priority for hospitals across the country, aiming to take them off the grid.
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