The Digest:
The Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja is set to fully disconnect from Nigeria's national electricity grid by March 2026, State House Permanent Secretary Temitope Fashedemi has confirmed. The solar mini-grid project, completed in late 2025, has undergone technical trials and is expected to power the Villa entirely within the first quarter of 2026. The initiative received N10 billion in the 2025 budget and an additional N7 billion in the 2026 appropriation. Officials project the system will cut electricity costs, reduce diesel generator dependence, and ease pressure on the troubled national grid. The State House Medical Centre's successful solar transition earlier in 2025 serves as a pilot. The Villa will retain only emergency backup generators upon full implementation.
Key Points:
- The project insulates the seat of power from persistent grid failures and rising electricity costs, funded by public taxes.
- It has ignited public debate over the government's prioritisation of presidential comfort over nationwide power sector reform.
- State House operations gain energy autonomy, while ordinary Nigerians remain subject to grid instability and tariff hikes.
- The N17 billion expenditure, in a sector with chronic underinvestment, has drawn criticism as symbolically tone-deaf.
- The timing, ahead of an election cycle, amplifies perceptions of a ruling class that secures its own comfort while citizens suffer.
Sources: State House, Social Media/X reactions
