The Federal Government has justified its decision to install solar panels at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, citing the need to cut the unsustainable annual electricity expenditure, which currently stands at about ₦47 billion.
Mustapha Abdullahi, Director General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, disclosed this while addressing the press on Friday. He explained that President Bola Tinubu approved a ₦10 billion investment in solar energy to power the villa as part of a broader initiative to reduce governance costs and transition to sustainable energy.
“This move is in line with President Tinubu’s agenda to diversify Nigeria’s energy mix and reduce the government’s reliance on the national grid,” Abdullahi stated. “It’s no longer sustainable to keep paying such an enormous amount yearly for electricity.”
Recall that in 2024, the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), in a widely circulated notice titled “Notice of Disconnection,” revealed that the Presidential Villa owed over ₦923 million in unpaid electricity bills. It further threatened to disconnect the villa and 86 other government ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) over a collective debt of ₦47.1 billion.
Abdullahi noted that the solar installation at the villa is not only aimed at achieving uninterrupted clean power but also at encouraging homegrown innovation and job creation among Nigerian engineers and energy professionals. He emphasized that the move would ease the burden on the national grid and set an example for sustainable energy adoption nationwide.
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