HURRAY- German Government To Supply Electricity To 4 Universities In Nigeria

The Secretary, National Energy Council, Alhaji
Ibrahim Njiddah, said on Tuesday that the German
government had offered to provide electricity to four
universities in Nigeria.
Njiddah told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in an
interview in Abuja that the gesture was part of the
council’s Renewable Energy Programme sponsored
by the German government.
He said that 25 megawatts of electricity would be
provided to the selected universities under the
project.
Njiddah listed the University of Ibadan, Modibbo
Adama University of Technology Yola, Usman
Danfodio University, Sokoto and the Federal
University, Otuoke, Bayelsa, as beneficiaries.
He said that the University of Ibadan would be
provided with 10 megawatts of electricity, while
Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola,
Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto, and Federal
University, Otuoke, would get five megawatts each.
“With the support of the German government, we
will deliver power to the selected four universities in
the areas like the laboratory, classroom, hostel and
the medical clinic.”
According to him, the project is to ensure that the
universities function optimally.
Njiddah said the project was purely assistance from
the German government under the Nigerian-German
Energy Partnership to facilitate acquisition of skills as
well as good quality of education.
“It is also in the pursuit of the Federal Government
plan to have uninterrupted power supply, especially
to the higher institutions of learning.
“In addition to that, some few universities are going
to benefit from the renewable energy centres to
enhance capacity building and knowledge transfer.”
Njiddah said that Usman Dan Fodio University,
Sokoto, had an existing renewable centre that would
be boosted through the expansion of its capacity.
“The World Bank is doing something in Usman Dan
Fodio University, Sokoto, and we want to augment
what the bank is doing there.
“The same centre will be established in Modibbo
Adama University of Technology, Yola.
“Already, there is existing student and staff
exchange programme between the university and
some select universities in Germany.”
Dr Jeremy Gaines, Coordinator, Nigerian-German
Energy Partnership, also told NAN in a separate
interview that the project was borne out of the
German government’s plan to assist in developing
educational sector in Nigeria
“We are going to start with the University in Sokoto
because it already had a renewable energy faculty
and we wish to support it by building a pilot plant
that will deliver enough electricity to the institution.
“The idea behind it is to develop skill acquisition in
the schools and platform for training in renewable
energy.
“Already, there is exchange programme between the
university in Yola and some universities in Germany.”
[News Agency Report]