MAIDUGURI/Nigeria: The new acting Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Abba Abubakar Aliyu, has announced that the Energizing Education Programme (EEP) Phase II is focused on providing electricity to tertiary institutions across Nigeria. This statement was made during a visit to Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, over the weekend.
Aliyu, leading a delegation from the REA, World Bank, and Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP), visited the University of Maiduguri and its medical college, the University Teaching Hospital, to inspect the ongoing projects. “One of our interventions is to provide electricity to tertiary institutions. We have completed the first phase and are finalizing the second phase and have started the third phase,” he said.
The second phase, funded by the World Bank, is the largest project under the EEP, aiming to provide 12kW of power and benefiting no fewer than 350,000 people, including over 50,000 staff and non-academic staff across Nigeria. This phase, which includes seven universities and a teaching hospital, is nearing completion. The visit was also an opportunity to inform the state government about the intervention and plans for commissioning the project.
Aliyu highlighted the crucial role of the World Bank’s support in the EEP Phase II project. “The confidence reposed in the REA’s implementation has encouraged the World Bank to provide an additional $750 million for the roll-out of what is called Distributed Access to Renewable Energy Scale-Up,” he noted.
Olufemi Akinyelure, Head of the Nigeria Electrification Project, emphasized the mission to create a sustainable future for Nigeria’s educational institutions. “Our mission is to create a sustainable future for Nigeria’s educational institutions. The EEP Phase II underscores our dedication to leveraging renewable energy solutions to drive academic excellence and gender inclusion in the STEM fields,” Akinyelure said.
Executive Director of Technical Services at the REA, Alh. Umar Abdullahi Umar, remarked on the timing of the project. “This event could not have come at a better time, given the myriad of energy challenges Federal Government-owned educational institutions in Nigeria are confronted with,” he said. Umar advised that beneficiary institutions of the EEP Phase II projects must protect these critical national assets to ensure their longevity and usage.
