By Ayodele Oni
Efforts to light up nooks and crannies of Nigeria got a boost on Tuesday as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu commissioned Africa’s first renewable energy college, the Barefoot Renewable Energy College, Osara, (BARECKS), and the Green Hydrogen Research and Demonstration Pilot Plant in Kogi State.
The President described the citadel of learning as a world-class edifice, completed to international standards.
A statement by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to The President on Media & Communications Office of The Vice President, state that Kashim shettima represented President Tinubu at the occassion.
He pointed out that while the difficulty confronting Nigeria, a country “abundantly endowed with sunlight, wind, biomass and water,” had been “converting its endowment into megawatts, and megawatts into jobs,” that difficulty will now be addressed by the college.
TShettima, who commissioned the college on behalf of the President at the Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara, Kogi State, conveyed the greetings of his boss whom he said had taken satisfaction in the completion of the project.
He noted that the Nigerian leader had always maintained “that a government is measured by the industries it plants and by the households those industries feed.”
The President observed that with the Barefoot Renewable Energy College and the Green Hydrogen Research and Demonstration Pilot Plant now open for studies, the question about whose hands should build and maintain Africa’s future has been answered.
“This is the first institution of its kind on the African continent, modelled on the celebrated vocational colleges of India that turned unlettered grandmothers into solar engineers.
“If that method could light the villages of Rajasthan, it can light the settlements of Kogi, Ondo and Cross River.
“Nigeria assumes, from today, the position of pacesetter in renewable energy capacity development across Africa.”
Expressing satisfaction with the speed at which the project was completed, the President pointed out that while, as a nation, Nigerians have become used to foundation stones that outlast the men who laid them, the college kept its appointment with the people.
“Two years ago, we stood on this ground for the groundbreaking of this institution, with red earth underfoot and the ambition of a few determined Nigerians for company.
“Today, we stand before a world-class edifice, completed to international standards,” he added.
The Nigerian leader stated that the college was built as “a vocational and technical institution to close the widest gap in Africa’s energy transition” which, according to him, is the shortage of competent technical manpower.
“Our continent has never suffered a deficit of intention. We have suffered the scarcity of hands trained to execute them,” he added, saying the college will produce technicians, installers, operators and maintenance professionals with practical competence in renewable energy technologies.”
Noting that graduates from the college will earn internationally recognised certificates of proficiency qualifying them for employment, starting their own enterprise and competing anywhere in the world, the President said, “A certificate issued in Osara must one day command respect in Nairobi and in Frankfurt.”
He called on development partners, the private sector, international organisations and research institutions “to join hands with the college to expand research, innovation and technical training,” assuring that”Nigeria is prepared to host and lead such collaboration.
President Tinubu applauded the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, and the Director General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, who he said carried the project from the drawing board to the commissioning ceremony through their persistence.
He also commended Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, the government and people of Kogi State for providing the environment that made the project possible.
Earlier, Governor Ododo said the inauguration of the college was a clear indication that Nigeria is on the path to sustainable development through investment in human capital.
He noted that the college will strengthen the country’s energy sector through capacity building, while attracting investment and creating opportunities for communities.
The governor commended the federal government for tackling the nation’s power challenges through strategic investments in the knowledge economy, describing the initiative as one that justifies continued support for the Tinubu administration.
For his part, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Kingsley Udeh, described the project as a major investment in human capital development and job creation, stating that it reflects the Federal Government’s commitment to building a knowledge-driven economy.
Dr. Udeh maintained that Nigeria’s ambition of becoming a one-trillion-dollar economy depends on developing a skilled workforce in strategic sectors such as renewable energy, urging the pioneer trainees to uphold high technical and ethical standards as well as serve as worthy ambassadors of the institution.
On his part, the Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Dr. Mustapha Abdullahi, described the institution as the first of its kind in Nigeria.
He said the facility is equipped with smart classrooms, battery energy laboratories, a mini-grid simulation centre, energy efficiency laboratories, and other modern training facilities.
Dr. Abdullahi explained that the college will produce highly skilled professionals in renewable energy research and development in line with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
