The federal government has allocated N300 billion to provide stable electricity supply to teaching hospitals and universities across the country.

Abubakar Bichi, member representing Bichi Federal Constituency and the chairman, House committee on appropriation, disclosed this on Wednesday at the unveiling of a solar hybrid intervention project in the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano.

He said the initiative was part of President Bola Tinubu’s administration’s commitment to end recurring power outages in critical sectors, especially in healthcare and tertiary education.

According to him, the allocation will fund the installation of renewable energy systems, with priority given to institutions that provide essential services to Nigerians.

“This intervention is designed to guarantee uninterrupted power for hospitals and universities so that doctors can save lives and students can study without disruption,” Mr Bichi said.

He explained that the projects would also reduce the burden of high electricity bills on government institutions, improve efficiency, and promote the use of clean energy.

Mr Bichi commended the minister of innovation, science and technology, Uche Nnaji, for providing leadership in translating government’s vision into concrete action.

He added that the Energy Commission of Nigeria would work with other relevant agencies to ensure the timely delivery of the projects.

He commended Mr Tinubu for approving special budgetary allocations to address power challenges in tertiary hospitals and universities across the country.

On AKTH solar power project, Mr Bichi said the intervention followed appeals made to him by chief medical directors (CMDs) of teaching hospitals during the preparation of the 2025 appropriation bill.

He recalled that in November 2024, CMD of University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, among others, raised concerns over the high cost of powering critical health facilities, sometimes spending up to N200 million monthly on electricity and diesel.

According to him, the issue was discussed with the leadership of the National Assembly and later taken to Mr Tinubu, who directed the inclusion of funds for solar hybrid projects in the 2025 budget.

Mr Bichi disclosed that about N300 billion was provided in the budget to support power supply in all federal universities and tertiary hospitals.

He said Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) would benefit from between 6 and 7MW solar power.

Also, Bayero University Kano would benefit from 5 to 6MW, while state-owned facilities such as Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital and Nasarawa Hospital would also receive federal support due to Kano’s large population.

“Specifically, AKTH alone got N26 billion in the 2025 budget for projects including accident and emergency, stroke centre, heart surgery, radiology, and family medicine complexes.

“This is unprecedented in the history of the hospital,” Mr Bichi said.

Earlier, the chief medical director of the hospital, Abdulrahman Sheshe, commended Mr Tinubu for the gesture.

He said that the project would go a long way in improving services delivery in the hospital.

Mr Sheshe also lauded the efforts of Mr Bichi and the minister of science and technology in realisation of the project.

(NAN)