Abuja
FG Begins N10b Aso Rock Solar Power Project: National Grid Challenges
FG Begins N10b Aso Rock Solar Power Project: National Grid Challenges
FG begins N10b Aso Rock solar power project: National Grid Challenges. The Federal Government has commenced the construction of a N10 billion solar mini-grid project to power the Aso Rock Presidential Villa.
The move shows both a shift towards renewable energy and a deepening lack of confidence in Nigeria’s ailing national electricity grid.
The Guardian reports that large sections of the Villa, including the entire parking lot of the Banquet Hall, the visitors’ parking lot, and the area around the lake have been converted into sites for mounting solar panels, in a clear departure from grid dependence.
Coming at a time when stakeholders are raising concerns on the implementation of the 2025 budget, the solar project, which is part of the 2025 national budget and listed under code ERGP202502463 remained on the front line of implementation.
The project is being implemented by Julius Berger in partnership with renewable energy firms, including Bartum Energy.
Bartum Energy, incorporated in 2016, has actively marketed solar solutions as alternatives to Nigeria’s unreliable public electricity supply.
While the Aso Rock solar power project may signal President Bola Tinubu’s endorsement of energy transition and sustainability goals, it also casts a spotlight on the state’s tacit admission of the grid’s failure.
Although Nigeria has about 14,000 megawatts installed electricity capacity, homes and businesses only get about 4,500MW.
Of this supply, businesses and homes, especially important services like healthcare, can’t rely on the grid. Most were relying on fossil fuel generators but now turning to solar as the cost of grid supply under Band A consumers and cost of diesel and premium motor spirit surged under the current government.
The cost of the presidential solar project represents more than 17 per cent of the Villa’s capital budget, which went from N47 billion in the initial 2025 proposal to N57 billion at the point of legislative approval.
That sizable allocation has raised fresh questions about fiscal priorities.
Some analysts had insisted that if the government must lead by example in energy reform, it could have first fixed the grid for everyone rather than powering Aso Rock off-grid while the rest of the country struggles.

National Grid Challenges
According to data from the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), industrial firms spent over N1 trillion on self-generation through diesel and gas-powered generators in recent years. Households too are increasingly turning to solar panels, inverters, and other off-grid options as blackouts persist.
Nigeria’s grid collapse incidents remain frequent, and overall generation capacity remains stuck below 5,000 MW for a population of over 200 million.
Although the country has one of the highest rates of self-generation globally, this shift, while innovative, has raised concerns about energy inequality, poor infrastructure planning, and the slow pace of grid modernisation.
Abuja
FCTA Confirms Antivenom Stock, Warns Negligent Hospitals, Gives Emergency Lines
FCTA Confirms Antivenom Stock, Warns Negligent Hospitals, Gives Emergency Lines
FCTA confirms antivenom stock, warns negligent hospitals, gives emergency lines. The FCTA said all public hFCTA confirms antivenom stock, warns negligent hospitals, gives emergency linesospitals have sufficient antivenom after singer Ifunanya Nwangene’s death at FMC Jabi. Dr. Adedolapo Fasawe warned facilities to follow protocols or face sanctions, stressing that early treatment is critical.

FCTA
The territory has added 12 ambulances, improved ICUs, and centralized antivenom storage.
Residents are urged to use emergency lines 090157892931 or 090157892932.
Abuja
FCT Police Warn NLC Against Planned Abuja Protest, Say Proscribed Groups Plot To Hijack
FCT Police Warn NLC Against Planned Abuja Protest, Say Proscribed Groups Plot To Hijack
FCT Police warn NLC against planned Abuja protest, say proscribed groups plot to hijack. The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) police command has warned the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) against its planned protest scheduled for Tuesday in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
The NLC leadership had fixed February 3 for a solidarity rally along with members of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria and the Joint Union Action Committee (JUAC) at the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) secretariat in Garki Area 11.
The NLC declared that the rally is to publicly affirm that “an injury to one is an injury to all”, adding that the Nigerian labour movement will not abandon its members.
On January 24, the labour body declared support for the indefinite strike by workers of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), describing the action as “necessary and heroic” in response to alleged violation of workers’ rights.
In a statement, Joe Ajaero, NLC president, said the labour union stood “in very strong solidarity” with FCTA workers under the aegis of JUAC.
Ajaero described the strike as “a necessary and heroic response to a vicious cocktail of neoliberal attacks, gross administrative impunity, and a systematic violation of the fundamental rights of workers by the FCTA management and its political leadership”.
However, in a statement on Monday, Josephine Adeh, FCT police spokesperson, said the command respects the constitutional right to peaceful assembly, but noted that intelligence reports indicate “plans by proscribed groups and other non-state actors to infiltrate and hijack the protest, posing a risk to public peace and safety”.
Adeh said in the interest of public safety, the organisers should consider rescheduling the protest to prevent any breakdown of law and order and to protect lives, property, and the rights of other residents.

Police
“The Command remains committed to safeguarding all lawful activities and urges residents to continue cooperating with security agencies to keep the FCT peaceful and secure,” the statement reads.
Meanwhile, the national industrial court has reportedly issued an interim order restraining the NLC, TUC and JUAC from embarking on the planned protest.
The court had earlier ordered workers on the payroll of the FCT administration to suspend the strike.
Emmanuel Subilim, the presiding judge, held that although the matter before the court amounted to a trade dispute, the defendants’ right to embark on industrial action was not absolute.
Abuja
Akwa Ibom Indigenes Protest RMAFC Meeting, Warn Against Tampering With State’s Oil Wells
Akwa Ibom Indigenes Protest RMAFC Meeting, Warn Against Tampering With State’s Oil Wells
Akwa Ibom indigenes protest RMAFC meeting, warn against tampering with State’s Oil Wells. Akwa Ibom indigenes resident in Abuja on Tuesday stormed the venue of a meeting of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), where the Inter-Agency Technical Committee (IATC) on Disputed/New Oil Wells was sitting, to protest what they described as attempts to reopen a matter already settled by the Supreme Court.
The protesters cautioned that no individual or agency should tamper with Akwa Ibom State’s 76 oil wells, stressing that the ownership of the wells was conclusively determined in favour of the state by the Supreme Court in 2012.
They insisted that any move to revisit the issue through administrative or technical processes would amount to a disregard for the authority of the apex court and could undermine peace in the Niger Delta region.
Akwa Ibom State was formally represented at the IATC meeting by a high-powered delegation comprising leading legal practitioners, government officials and technocrats. Members of the delegation included Paul Usoro, SAN; Assam Assam, SAN; the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Uko Udom, SAN; Uwemedimo Nwoko, SAN; Emmanuel Enoidem, SAN; and a former Attorney-General of Akwa Ibom State.

Akwa Ibom Indigenes Protest RMAFC Meeting
Also on the state’s delegation were the Commissioner for Finance, Mr Emem Bob, Former Attorney General and Commissioner Justice, Barr. Ekpenyong Ntekim; the Commissioner for Information, Dr. Aniekan Umanah; Honourable Member representing Ikot Ekpene Federal Constituency, Dr Patrick Umoh, among others.
The delegation is expected to present Akwa Ibom State’s position before the committee, reiterating that the Supreme Court judgment remains final and binding, and urging all relevant federal agencies to respect and uphold the ruling.
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