President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to overhauling Nigeria’s health sector, with a key focus on resolving the persistent power supply challenges crippling hospitals nationwide.
Speaking through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, at the National Stakeholders’ Dialogue on Power in the Health Sector in Abuja on Tuesday, the President emphasized that no Nigerian should lose their life due to electricity interruptions in medical facilities.
“Persistent power outages in surgical theatres, maternity wards, intensive care units, laboratories, and emergency rooms compromise safety, interrupt care, and cost lives. This crisis demands immediate and coordinated action,” Tinubu stated in a message issued by the SGF’s media aide, Yomi Odunuga.
Describing the situation as unacceptable, the President pledged to prioritise sustainable energy solutions for healthcare facilities across the country. He explained that this initiative forms a core part of the Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to decentralize energy systems and foster private sector participation.
“My administration is fully committed to transforming the health sector by addressing sub-optimal and inefficient electricity supply that drives up costs, disrupts care, and undermines quality,” he said, highlighting plans to deploy off-grid solar and hybrid systems, supported by regulatory incentives and innovative financing.
Tinubu assured investors of a business-friendly environment in the health, energy, and infrastructure sectors, with collaboration opportunities for credible partners, particularly in renewable energy projects.
Despite previous interventions—including the Federal Government’s 50% electricity subsidy for hospitals and schools in 2024, solarisation projects in major hospitals, and the ₦100bn National Public Sector Solarisation Initiative approved this year—power supply remains unreliable, especially in hospitals outside major cities. Medical staff often rely on diesel generators and emergency lighting during critical procedures.
The President’s renewed commitment underscores the administration’s drive to deliver safe, reliable, and efficient healthcare services nationwide, with uninterrupted energy as a cornerstone of patient safety and quality care.
