Barely two years after it was commissioned, the ₦5.6 billion solar hybrid power plant at Bayero University, Kano (BUK), collapsed, plunging the institution back into erratic electricity supply and rising energy costs.
The 3.5-megawatt facility was inaugurated in September 2019 by former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and was celebrated as Africa’s largest off-grid solar power plant at the time.
The project, executed by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) under the Energising Education Programme and implemented by Greek engineering firm METKA, supplied electricity to lecture theatres, administrative offices, student hostels and staff quarters. During its operation, the plant reportedly reduced the university’s energy expenses by more than 60 percent.
By 2021, however, the solar plant developed technical faults and was eventually shut down, forcing the university to rely once again on diesel generators and the national grid. Staff and students said the shutdown marked the end of a period of stable daytime electricity that had significantly improved academic activities, campus security and overall productivity.
University workers attributed the failure to overuse, the absence of adequate energy storage facilities, rising maintenance costs and limited technical involvement of BUK personnel during the project’s implementation. They added that prolonged inactivity, inflation and the depreciation of electrical components further worsened the damage.
The REA has since announced plans to revive and expand the facility to 6 megawatts under a ₦100 billion federal solarisation programme.
Speaking at the launch of the upgrade on November 20, 2025, REA Managing Director, Dr Abba Aliyu Abubakar, said the project would undergo a complete overhaul and be redesigned to provide uninterrupted 24-hour electricity supply to the university.
BUK Vice-Chancellor, Professor Haruna Musa, welcomed the initiative, assuring that the new phase would actively involve the university’s technical experts to ensure long-term sustainability. He disclosed that the institution currently spends more than ₦130 million monthly on electricity.
While staff and students expressed optimism over the revival plan, they called for strict accountability and proper oversight to prevent a repeat of the project’s earlier failure.
