The 12MW Solar Hybrid Power Plant for the University of Maiduguri and its teaching hospital is nearing completion.
The project is one of the administration’s resolve to invest in the nation’s tertiary institutions to achieve greater results.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo stated in his remarks on Thursday at the formal handover of the Muhammadu Indimi International Learning Centre to the management of the University of Maiduguri.
According to the VP, “the Buhari Administration is continuing to invest in our Universities. UNIMAID is in phase 2 of the Energizing Education Program funded through the Rural Electrification Agency.
The Federal Government’s Energizing Education Programme is geared towards delivering on several critical policies and objectives of the administration including improving power supply around the country by providing solar hybrid plants in 37 Federal Universities and 7 teaching hospitals.
“The Federal Government through REA (in partnership with the World Bank) is in advanced stages of establishing a 12MW Solar Hybrid Power Plant to power UNIMAID and its Teaching Hospital.
“The project will also include a training centre and is modelled around similar projects that have already been completed in Bayero University Kano (BUK), the Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi (FUAM), Usman Danfodio University Sokoto (UDUS) and the Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike (FUNAI),” the VP added.
Citing the rise to fame of Nigerian tech companies to justify the need to invest more in the education of Nigerians, the VP recalled the Nigerian owned tech firms that have become Unicorns.
He said: “These companies achieved the coveted Unicorn status despite the perceived disadvantages of our region globally. Imagine what we could do if we have a more committed focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) programs.
“Nigeria could conceivably dominate the technology space as we dominate in Nollywood and the music scene. The knowledge economy of the 21st century emphasizes the need for all of our children to have education so we can have many more unicorns.”
