The Federal Government has announced plans to introduce electricity tariffs for universities and teaching hospitals benefiting from its renewable energy projects.
Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja during the unveiling of the Renewable Asset Management Company (RAMCO), saying the move is aimed at ensuring the sustainability of government-funded renewable energy infrastructure.
Tegbe explained that while the government had provided some institutions with free electricity from renewable energy projects for a period of time, the arrangement could no longer continue indefinitely.
According to him, several universities had enjoyed free electricity for two years, but would now be required to pay for the power generated from the government’s renewable energy assets.
“The pro bono is over. We are coming to commission, and you will pay tariff. The same thing with teaching hospitals,” Tegbe said.»
The minister stressed that the new arrangement was necessary because Nigeria had historically struggled to properly maintain public infrastructure after construction.
He said RAMCO was established to introduce a more sustainable model for managing the country’s renewable energy investments.
The Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Abba Aliyu, also backed the proposed tariff, noting that the Federal Government had invested heavily in renewable energy projects across public institutions.
Aliyu disclosed that since 2017, REA had deployed about 82 megawatts of solar hybrid power across 22 federal universities and three teaching hospitals under the Energising Education Programme.
He said beneficiary institutions would need to contribute through electricity payments to ensure the facilities remain operational and sustainable.
Among the institutions benefiting from the programme are Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; the University of Nigeria, Nsukka; and the Federal University, Wukari, alongside three teaching hospitals.
The development means universities and teaching hospitals that have benefited from government-funded renewable power could soon face new electricity bills as the Federal Government moves to recover the cost of maintaining the infrastructure.
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