The Federal Government is to build an independent power plant at Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo (FUNAI), Ebonyi State as part of it’s policy to connect all federal universities to the national power grid.
This was made known recently when a team from the Rural Electricity Agency (REA), Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing visited the university to take-over the project sites for its eventual commencement.
Giving an insight on the project, the leader of the REA team, Mr. Saheed Oseni-Wahab, noted that the idea was initiated in 2016 by the Federal Government through the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing to take all federal universities to the national power grid, adding that FUNAI is among the nine universities selected for the first phase of the project.
“FUNAI is one of the nine universities that are benefiting from this power project in the first phase,” he said.
Other beneficiary institutions are Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka; Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Efurun; University of Lagos, Akoka; Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife; Federal University of Agriculture, Markudi; Bayero University, Kano; Usaman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto; and Abubakar Tafa Belewa University, Gubi Campus, Bauchi.
He further stressed that the power project would not only lead to the construction of a solar farm but also an independent power plant and a training centre in the university.
Welcoming the team to the university, the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Chinedum Nwajiuba, thanked the Federal Government for choosing the institution as one of the first beneficiaries of the power project, charging the contractor to start work immediately and, more importantly, to ensure quality work.
“Let us have action immediately. It is our dream to switch-off all generators
“Our university is young and growing. Our interest is that you carry out a quality work,” the Vice Chancellor stated.
Responding on behalf of the contacting firm, SWL Nigeria Limited, Mr. Heaven Upadhyay, noted that the power plant when completed would be a hybrid system, with the capacity to work with or without the power grid.
He further stated that, through the project, a solar farm would be constructed in the university to generate one megawatt of renewable energy, adding that it would enable the institution overcome power problem confronting most organisations in Nigeria.
