Tinubu Government inaugurates 2MW Solar Project Worth N3.8b At Kano University

Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology [Credit: NewsWireNGR]
The federal government, through the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), on Friday inaugurated the groundbreaking ceremony of a 2-megawatt solar hybrid project worth N3.8 billion at the Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology (ADUSTECH), Wudil, in Kano State.

The project, under the flagship Renewed Hope Solarisation project of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, also witnessed the commissioning of 200 solar-powered streetlights within the institution.

The director-general of the Commission, Mustapha Abdullahi, alongside the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Kingsley Tochukwu-Udeh (SAN), carried out the groundbreaking ceremony at the university.

Mr Abdullahi said contractors handling the project had been given a mandate of three months to complete the work.

He said the project was designed to provide sustainable energy generation for the institution and address its monthly electricity expenses of N22.4 million.

“Today’s groundbreaking at Wudil follows our ceremony at Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital in September 2025, where a 4MW system is being installed, and last week’s groundbreaking at Bayero University Kano.

“Each project is a standalone delivery and a building block in a national programme covering hospitals and tertiary institutions in all 36 states and the FCT.

“The contract for this project, worth N3.8 billion, has been awarded to Safiatu Global Resources Limited with a firm three-month completion mandate, no variation in contract sum, and full accountability under the Commission’s project monitoring framework,” he said.

Mr Abdullahi said every groundbreaking under the programme is preceded by rigorous technical work, including energy audits, load assessments, site surveys, and system design.

According to him, “Our team arrived on this campus with that precise mandate, and the findings were unambiguous. ADUSTECH is home to a combined population of 24,339 persons: 2,462 staff, and hostel facilities providing 5,200 bed spaces.

“Against that scale of activity, the assessed actual energy demand on this campus ranges between 12.3 and 16.4 megawatts. Yet the total connected load on utility records stands at only 8.26 megawatts, a figure that already exceeds what the grid reliably delivers.”

He noted that the institution spends an average of N22.4 million every month on electricity bills, while its entire on-site diesel backup capacity amounts to a mere 2.07 megavolt-amperes.

“This is the energy reality that confronts a university of this mandate and ambition. It is unacceptable, and it is what we are here to begin addressing.”

He said that based on the full load profile and the 59 hectares of available land identified within a 2.5-kilometre radius of the campus, the Energy Commission’s technical recommendation is a 7-megawatt solar mini-grid as the complete solution for energy needs.

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Also speaking, Mr Tochukwu-Udeh, said the installation of the 2MW project in the institution is not an act of philanthropy, but a strategic national policy and national action under the Renewed Hope Solarization project.

Kano University

He said the federal government is making these investments because it believes in what the institution and others are doing in terms of groundbreaking innovations to provide solutions to the most pressing challenges faced by Nigerians.

Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, Musa Tukur-Yakasai, said the landmark event represents not just an infrastructural milestone but a bold step towards sustainable energy, innovation, and academic excellence.

Mr Tukur-Yakasai said the intervention is a significant step in strengthening the institution’s academic and research capacity.

Police Appoints VCRU Commander In Ogun

The Commissioner of Police in Ogun, Bode Ojajuni, has appointed CSP Daramola Thompson as commander of the Violent Crime Response Unit (VCRU) in line with ongoing police reforms.

This is contained in a statement on Friday in Abeokuta by DSP Oluseyi Babaseyi, the command’s spokesperson.

According to the statement, the appointment, approved by the commissioner, is part of efforts to implement the reform directive of Inspector-General of Police Tunji Disu aimed at restructuring and streamlining tactical operations across state commands.

Mr Ojajuni said the move was designed to establish a unified, professional, and intelligence-driven unit to tackle violent crimes and enhance operational efficiency, accountability, and coordinated responses to security challenges in the state.

He noted that the appointment followed a rigorous screening process and coincided with the commencement of an orientation programme for selected personnel of the unit.

The commissioner, alongside members of the command management team, participated in the orientation to provide strategic guidance and reinforce the reform objectives.

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According to the statement, Mr Thompson, a seasoned officer, has served in various capacities, including Officer-in-Charge of the Anti-Cultism Unit and CP Monitoring Unit in the Ogun command.

Police

“He also served as Officer-in-Charge of the Anti-Fraud Unit and Anti-Car Theft Unit in Ekiti command, as well as Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Noyo Division, Ebonyi,” he said.

Mr Ojajuni charged the new commander to align strictly with the reform objectives by upholding professionalism, discipline, and integrity, while ensuring swift and lawful responses to violent crimes across the state.l

EFCC, UNODC, Canada Strategize Against Terrorist Financing, Illegal Mining

The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ola Olukoyede has disclosed the readiness of the EFCC to collaborate with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes, UNODC, and the Canadian Government to scale up activities of the Commission against terrorism financing and illegal mining in Nigeria.

Olukoyede made this known on Friday, April 24, 2026, when the Canadian Senior Project Manager, Counter-terrorism and Anti-Crimes Capacity Building Programmes Division, Wilma Endamne, alongside the Project Coordinator, Counter-terrorism Unit of the UNODC, Tom Parker, came on a courtesy visit to him at the EFCC headquarters, Jabi, Abuja.

Speaking through his Chief of Staff, Commander of the EFCC, CE Michael Nzekwe, Olukoyede appreciated the support the EFCC has been receiving from the UNODC and the Canadian Government, noting that the EFCC has had a robust relationship over the years with the two foreign institutions. “I appreciate strongly the support that has been coming from UNODC and from the Canadian Government. Thank you,” he said.

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He disclosed that the EFCC was rennetless in the fight against terrorism financing and illegal mining and was delighted that the Commission has had a tremendous number of convictions in this regard.

“The EFCC has been doing a lot in the areas of terrorism financing and illegal mining. We have a good number of convictions regarding illegal mining across our zonal directorates. We have been on it and you have always provided capacity in several areas, so it will be encouraging for us to continue to build capacity in those two areas,” he said.

Olukoyede noted that criminal elements are operating with advanced technology, requiring the Commission to also up its own capacity in order to outpace them and get the desired outcomes. “At our level, a lot has been done in-house to see that there is training in those areas, especially as it relates to terrorism financing, illegal mining and other areas such as money laundering,” he said.

While emphasizing the need for enhanced capacity building, the EFCC boss stated that the EFCC was always open to opportunities for more capacity building.

“The Commission is open to collaboration. We are committed to see that the collaboration with UNODC gets better and stronger. Whatever it would take to dismantle every form and structure of terrorism financing, the Commission is into it,” he said.

Lending his voice to the position of the EFCC Chairman, Director of Investigation, Commander of the EFCC, CE Abdulkarim Chukkol, disclosed that the EFCC has in recent times heightened its efforts against illegal mining, leading to massive arrests and prosecution of the criminal elements involved.

“The Commission has scaled up its activities against illegal mining, leading to increased arrests and prosecutions. Not only that, we build capacity in that area. We are happy that organizations like the UNODC have opened their doors for us in that regard. We want everybody to be on board so that we can agree that we have a problem, and design a framework on how to overcome it,” he said.

Tom Parker, the project Coordinator, Counter-terrorism Unit of the UNODC, disclosed that the delegation was in the EFCC to seek collaborative ways against terrorism financing and illegal mining, adding that the UNODC is working with various stakeholders and have been able to create a technical working group.

“One of our major projects in the counter-terrorism space in the past year has been a project, funded by the Government of Canada. It focused on the connection between illicit mining, artisanal mining and terrorist financing.

EFCC

We are particularly focused on illicit financial flows, coming out of this particular economic activity. We are working with a whole range of people in that space, the Mining Marshals and the NFIU, and we have been able to create a technical working group to try and bring all the relevant parties together, including the revenue service and specifically anybody that has interest in this issue,” he said.

In her remark, Endamne, highlighted some areas for capacity building, which include equipment, software and policing.

“Through our programme, our federal police can extend some kind of capacity with the equipment needed,” she said.