Tinubu Allocate N7 billion For Aso Rock Solar Power Grid

The administration of President Bola Tinubu has allocated an additional ₦7 billion in the 2026 budget for the solarisation of the Presidential Villa, according to details released by the Budget Office of the Federation.

The allocation, listed under State House expenditures, is designated as “provision of solarisation of Villa with solar mini grid.” This comes a year after the Federal Government earmarked ₦10 billion in the 2025 budget for the same project at Aso Rock.

The plan to deploy a solar power system at the Presidential Villa home to the President and senior government officials has drawn public attention, particularly against the backdrop of persistent electricity challenges faced by many Nigerians.

Following widespread criticism of the initial ₦10 billion allocation in 2025, the Tinubu administration defended the project, describing it as a strategic long-term investment in sustainability, energy efficiency, and cost reduction. The Presidency argued that the initiative aligns with global best practices for powering critical government infrastructure.

The defence came amid growing concerns over government spending priorities and Nigeria’s economic pressures. Critics accused the administration of contradicting its pledge to deliver stable electricity nationwide, suggesting that the move to solar power at Aso Rock reflected a lack of confidence in the national grid.

Responding to the criticism, Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga said the project reflects international standards for presidential residences. In a statement posted on his verified X account, he noted that the White House in Washington, D.C., also incorporates solar energy into its power supply. According to him, the Villa’s solarisation follows a proven and globally accepted model for sustainable energy use in key national institutions.

The budgetary decision has also coincided with renewed instability in Nigeria’s electricity sector. In April 2025, the national grid slipped into emergency mode after a major system collapse severely reduced power generation and disrupted supply across the country.

Data from the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) showed that total electricity generation fell sharply within one hour, dropping from 2,052.37 megawatts at 2:00 p.m. to just 139.92MW by 3:00 p.m., indicating a significant grid disturbance.

The collapse resulted in widespread outages, with only three of the country’s 11 electricity distribution companies able to receive power at the time. Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company received 80MW, while Abuja and Benin DisCos were allocated 20MW each. All other distribution companies recorded zero allocation.

NISO confirmed that Eko, Enugu, Ikeja, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Port Harcourt, and Yola DisCos were unable to take any load from the grid during the incident. Independent grid monitoring platforms corroborated the data, showing that power supply remained severely constrained hours after the collapse.

The episode once again highlighted the fragility of Nigeria’s electricity infrastructure, where a single system failure can quickly trigger nationwide blackouts. At the peak of the disruption, generation fell below 200MW—far short of what is required to support households, businesses, and essential services.

Similar incidents were recorded earlier. On September 10, 2025, the national grid collapsed again, plunging much of the country into darkness. Distribution figures at the time showed minimal allocations, with most DisCos receiving no power.

In March 2025, another major grid collapse left large parts of the country, including Lagos, without electricity. This occurred just days after the Federal Government announced what it described as a historic increase in generation capacity to 6,000MW. Despite the milestone, the grid failure caused output to crash below 1,000MW within hours, underscoring ongoing structural weaknesses in the power sector.