ABU Laments N4bn Annual Energy Cost, Turns To Solar Power

The Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, has revealed that it spends astir ₦4 cardinal annually connected energy, a outgo its vice chancellor, Prof Adamu Ahmed, described arsenic “crippling the instauration and unsustainable.”

Addressing a property league yesterday to people the university’s 63rd day astatine the Senate Building, Main Campus, Prof Ahmed said the precocious vigor measure was besides hampering effectual world activities and research.

He disclosed that to cushion the burden, ABU had taken bold steps towards self-reliance, challenging its unit and students to prosecute successful indispensable innovations portion seeking partnerships for sustainable vigor solutions.

According to him, the national authorities has besides acknowledged the crisis, and had provided an archetypal ₦1 cardinal involution past twelvemonth done TETFund and approving different task to present 10 megawatts of renewable vigor to the institution.

“We’ve besides reached retired to our alumni, peculiarly the SBS people of 1975, who are already implementing a solar-powered task for 1 of our CBT centres,” Ahmed said. “We’re taking our destiny into our ain hands portion expecting continued enactment from outside.”

The vice chancellor reiterated that ABU was founded to service arsenic a span of unity and advancement for Nigeria, explaining that the precocious Premier, Sir Ahmadu Bello, intended the assemblage to amended some the North and South without taste oregon spiritual barriers.

He lamented that insecurity and poorness had undermined the North’s improvement and disrupted acquisition growth, insisting that ABU would present absorption connected addressing these challenges done research, agriculture, and argumentation advocacy.

Ahmed said the assemblage had begun advocacy visits to bluish states, urging governments to collaborate with world institutions to find solutions to insecurity, nutrient insecurity, and unemployment.

Highlighting ABU’s immense cultivation assets – including the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), NAPRI, and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine – helium said nary different West African assemblage had specified capableness to thrust cultivation and economical recovery.

The VC besides stressed that insecurity could not beryllium solved by unit alone, advocating for non-kinetic approaches that promote dialogue, understanding, and community-driven peacebuilding. “We person the capacity, the research, and the networks,” helium said. “And we are acceptable to pb the complaint successful uncovering lasting solutions.”

Professor Ahmed said the day offered an accidental to bespeak connected the founding imaginativeness of Sir Ahmadu Bello, who established the assemblage to bid the manpower needed for Northern Nigeria and, by extension, the nation. “He envisioned an instauration rooted successful service, excellence, and unity,” the VC said.

He further noted that from its humble opening successful 1962 with conscionable 4 faculties, 15 departments, and 426 students, ABU has grown into 18 faculties, 110 departments, 7 institutes, 4 colleges, and 17 probe centres, making it the largest assemblage strategy successful sub-Saharan Africa.

Ahmed said ABU had earned planetary designation with the Times Higher Education ranking it the champion nationalist assemblage successful Nigeria successful 2025, portion it besides received the JAMB grant for internationalisation and diversity.

He called connected the university’s immense alumni community, which helium described arsenic “ABU’s top strength,” to emulate the founding tone of work by supporting the instauration done endowments, yearly giving, and donations.