FG allocates N7bn for Aso Villa’s solar energy

The Federal Authorities has earmarked N7bn for the continued solarisation of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, in a bid to handle Nigeria’s persistent energy provide challenges, The PidomNigeria stories.

The allocation is contained within the 2026 Appropriation Invoice submitted to the Nationwide Meeting in December, a replica of which was obtained by our correspondent.

In response to the price range proposal, underneath the State Home Headquarters, N7bn was put aside for the “solarisation of the Villa with photo voltaic mini-grid”.

The PidomNigeria reported final yr that N10bn was allotted for a similar venture within the 2025 price range.

The solarisation of the Villa means that the Federal Authorities could also be becoming a member of different establishments which have resorted to various energy sources amid the collapse of the nationwide grid. It may additionally cut back power prices by reducing reliance on diesel-powered turbines.

The Federal Authorities had earlier confronted widespread criticism after stories emerged in 2025 that N10bn was allotted for a solar energy venture at Aso Rock.

Nonetheless, the Director-Basic of the Power Fee of Nigeria, Mustapha Abdullahi, was mentioned to have defended the venture, stating that it was unsustainable for the Presidential Villa to proceed paying an annual electrical energy invoice of about N47bn.

In response to him, the solar energy set up would ship uninterrupted and clear power whereas finally decreasing strain on the nationwide grid.

Within the 2026 price range proposal, the State Home additionally earmarked N311m for electrical energy fees.

The PidomNigeria additional learnt that the State Home spent a complete of N483.34m on electrical energy payments in 2024, representing a 40.17 per cent enhance from the N344.82m spent in 2023.

Equally, N1.99bn was allotted for plant and generator prices and N22.23m for cooking gasoline, whereas N156.66m was earmarked for fuelling motor automobiles.

Talking on TVC Information on Tuesday, the Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Company, Abba Aliyu, mentioned Nigeria has the best variety of individuals with out entry to electrical energy globally.

In response to Aliyu, over 82 million Nigerians reside in unserved or underserved areas, including that the federal government had recognized these communities and essentially the most cost-effective technique of offering them with electrical energy.

Within the Appropriation Invoice, the Federal Authorities allotted over N1.1tn to the facility sector, greater than the N900bn budgeted in 2025.

A breakdown of the proposal reveals that the Ministry of Energy obtained N1,107,103,148,958. Of this quantity, capital expenditure accounted for N1.09tn, personnel prices stood at N4.21bn, whereas overhead prices had been N6.17bn.

The Ministry of Energy headquarters was allotted N418.86bn, whereas the Rural Electrification Company obtained the best allocation of N504.77bn. The Nigerian Electrical energy Administration Companies Company received N6.1bn, the Nationwide Energy Coaching Institute obtained N20.72bn, N2.11bn was put aside for the Nigeria Electrical energy Legal responsibility Administration Restricted, whereas the Transmission Firm of Nigeria was allotted N154.52bn.

Nonetheless, stakeholders raised considerations {that a} detailed examination of the price range confirmed no express allocation for electrical energy tariff assist or subsidy funds, estimated by operators at about N200bn month-to-month.

Reacting, the Managing Director and Chief Government Officer of the Affiliation of Energy Era Firms, Pleasure Ogaji, mentioned the “omission” highlighted the extent of precedence accorded to the facility sector.

Ogaji mentioned the event prompt a shift away from express budgetary recognition of the income shortfall, successfully transferring the monetary burden to operators throughout the worth chain, notably technology corporations and gasoline suppliers, who at the moment obtain about 34 per cent of market funds amid delayed remittances and rising sector money owed.