Presidential Villa to Go Solar with N10bn Budget Allocation
The Federal Government has approved a N10bn allocation in the 2025 budget for the installation of a solar mini-grid at the Presidential Villa.
The project, titled “Solarisation of the Villa with Solar Mini Grid,” is intended to reduce the State House’s dependence on the national grid and ease the burden of rising electricity tariffs.
This new allocation accounts for the entire increase in the State House’s capital expenditure, which rose from N33.55bn to N43.55bn. Overall, the State House budget jumped from N47.11bn in the proposed budget to N57.11bn in the approved version.
The shift to solar comes amid growing concerns over unreliable public power supply and the soaring cost of electricity, particularly for Band A consumers—those guaranteed a minimum of 20 hours of electricity daily. In 2024, tariffs for this group skyrocketed from N68/kWh to over N209/kWh within months.
In 2024, the State House spent a total of N483.34m on electricity—up from N344.82m in 2023—due in part to a bulk payment of N316.88m in October to settle accumulated arrears.
Earlier in the year, the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company named the Presidential Villa among top government debtors, listing an outstanding bill of N923.87m, later revised to N342.35m after reconciliation. President Bola Tinubu ordered the debt settled immediately to prevent disconnection.
For 2025, N311.09m has been allocated to electricity under the Villa’s utilities budget—a figure lower than 2024’s actual spend, suggesting expectations of reduced grid usage once the solar project is operational.
In addition to the solarisation effort, the State House budget covers other capital projects including maintenance of the Villa, settlement of contractor debts, infrastructure upgrades, and property renovations, all part of a broader push for efficiency and sustainability at the seat of power.
