- The Federal Government (FG) has allocated ₦7 billion in the 2026 budget for the solarisation of the Presidential Villa through a solar mini-grid.
- The move reflects a broader shift toward alternative power solutions amid Nigeria’s persistent electricity challenges.
The Federal Government (FG) has allocated ₦7bn for the ongoing solarisation of the Presidential Villa in Abuja to address Nigeria’s persistent power supply challenges.
The allocation appears in the 2026 Appropriation Bill submitted to the National Assembly in December. A copy of the budget shows that the State House Headquarters set aside the ₦7bn for the “solarisation of the Villa with a solar mini-grid.”
In 2025, the government allocated ₦10bn for the same project.
The solar project suggests that the Federal Government is adopting alternative power solutions amid repeated national grid collapses. The move could also reduce energy costs by cutting dependence on diesel-powered generators.
The project previously attracted criticism after reports in 2025 revealed the ₦10bn allocation for solar power at Aso Rock. However, the Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Mustapha Abdullahi, defended the initiative. He said it was unsustainable for the Presidential Villa to continue paying about ₦47bn annually for electricity.
Abdullahi said the solar installation would provide uninterrupted and clean energy while reducing pressure on the national grid.
The 2026 budget also allocated ₦311m for electricity charges at the State House. Records show that the State House spent ₦483.34m on electricity in 2024, up from ₦344.82m in 2023. This represents a 40.17 per cent increase.
The budget further allocated ₦1.99bn for plant and generator costs, ₦22.23m for cooking gas, and ₦156.66m for vehicle fuel.
The Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency, Abba Aliyu, said Nigeria has the highest number of people without electricity access globally. He said more than 82 million Nigerians live in unserved or underserved communities. He added that the government has identified these areas and the most cost-effective solutions to electrify them.
Overall, the Federal Government allocated over ₦1.1tn to the power sector in the 2026 budget. This amount is higher than the ₦900bn allocated in 2025.
The Ministry of Power received ₦1.107tn. Capital expenditure accounted for ₦1.09tn, personnel costs stood at ₦4.21bn, and overhead costs amounted to ₦6.17bn.
The Ministry’s headquarters received ₦418.86bn. The Rural Electrification Agency received the largest allocation of ₦504.77bn. The Transmission Company of Nigeria received ₦154.52bn. The National Power Training Institute received ₦20.72bn. The Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency got ₦6.1bn, while Nigeria Electricity Liability Management Limited received ₦2.11bn.
Stakeholders, however, raised concerns about the absence of a clear allocation for electricity tariff support or subsidy payments. Operators estimate this gap at about ₦200bn monthly.
Reacting, the Managing Director of the Association of Power Generation Companies, Joy Ogaji, said the omission reflected the level of priority given to the power sector. She said the development shifts the financial burden to operators across the value chain, especially generation companies and gas suppliers. She added that these operators currently receive only about 34 per cent of market payments amid delayed remittances and rising sector debts.