The ministries of Works and Housing and Environment have moved away from receiving power supply from the national electricity grid.
Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, announced that the ministries would henceforth get their power supply from a 1.5 megawatts solar micro-grid system, which was inaugurated at the Mabushi, Abuja headquarters of his ministry on Tuesday.
The Ministries of Environment, Works and Housing are all headquartered in Mabushi, Federal Capital Territory.
Fashola said the solar power project was approved by the Federal Executive Council on March 20, 2019 at the time when the Federal Ministry of Power was part of the works and housing ministry.
He said, “I express our ministry’s appreciation to members of the Federal Executive Council who voted to entrust our ministry with this project.
“What we have delivered, based on the mandate of the Federal Executive Council, is a 1.52MW solar system that will provide uninterrupted power supply to five blocks housing the Ministry of Works and Housing and Ministry of Environment and Lands.”
He said the project employed 382 artisans and 176 skilled workers throughout its duration, as this was in fulfilment of the government’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan of creating jobs.
Fashola said, “It would see to the reduction of average diesel consumption from 764,248 litres per annum to 166,825 litres per annum and cost saving of N270.95m over 20 years.
“It will contribute towards the reduction of government operational expenses and reduction of recurrent expenditure.”
The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), who was represented at the event by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, said the solar grid project was in line with the Federal Government’s pursuit.
He said, “For many years and indeed decades, our pursuit of electrical energy solutions has followed a single track of on-grid power until recently, when off-grid power became a focal policy pursuit of this administration.
“The impact of that policy shift is that access to small scale and off-grid electricity is increasingly becoming available to Nigerians in marketplaces, universities, and business premises.”
This, he said, was the case with other parts of the world, adding that the initiative was as a worthy option for other agencies of government to consider.
