Grid Collapse: State House Allocates N10bn to Solar Power

Lizzy Chirkpi

The Federal Government has earmarked the sum of N10bn in the 2025 budget for the installation of a solar mini-grid at the Presidential Villa, signaling a move towards energy independence for the nation’s seat of power.

This comes against the backdrop of claims by the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu that 150 million Nigerians have access to stable electricity.

The solarisation of the Villa with Solar Mini Grid project aims to lessen the State House’s reliance on the national grid and mitigate the impact of increasing electricity tariffs.

This new allocation accounts for the entire N10bn increase in the State House’s capital expenditure, which has risen from N33. 55bn to N43.55bn. Overall, the State House’s total budget has seen a significant jump from the initially proposed N47.11bn to N57.11bn in the approved version.

The decision to transition to solar energy coincides with growing public apprehension about the inconsistent public power supply and the escalating cost of electricity, particularly affecting Band A and B consumers, who are meant to receive a minimum of 20 hours of daily power.

In 2024, tariffs for this group witnessed a sharp increase from N68/kWh to over N209/kWh within a few months.

In 2024, the State House’s expenditure on electricity totaled N483.34m, up from N344.82m in 2023. This rise was partly attributed to a substantial payment of N316.88m made in October to clear outstanding arrears.

Earlier in 2025, the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) had identified the Presidential Villa as one of the leading government debtors, citing an outstanding bill of N923.87m, which was later reconciled to N342.35m.

President Bola Tinubu subsequently directed the immediate settlement of this debt to avoid disconnection.

For the fiscal year 2025, a sum of N311.09m has been allocated for electricity under the Villa’s utilities budget.

This figure is lower than the actual expenditure in 2024, suggesting an anticipation of reduced grid consumption once the solar power infrastructure becomes operational.