Amidst serious criticism the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration has defended the N10 billion Aso Villa Solar Power project, saying similar projects have been carried out in other countries such as the United States, US.
The Presidency in its response to the issue said the Tinubu administration should not be vilified because “The White House in Washington D.C. uses solar power.”
The administration’s response is contained in a statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to The President On Media and Strategy, who said the criticism against the project have been totally misplaced, describing the project as a ‘globally accepted model’ for sustainable power supply.
The magazine reports that not a few Nigerians have criticized the project, which they consider to be too expensive, other critics also insist that the switch to Solar Power in Aso Rock, Nigeria’s Presidency is an admittance by the administration that it could not longer address the nation’s epileptic electricity problems.
Other critics of the administration also insist that such humongous funds should have been invested in the country’s power sector that appears to have defied known solutions, to turn it around for the better and benefit of Nigerians.
“The decision to install solar panels and inverters to power Aso Rock send a direct psychological message to Nigerians that the government no longer believes that the nation’s power challenges could be address. This is an administration that promised to give Nigeria stable power supply before they came to power. It seems they have realised that the issue is now beyond them,” an analyst said on Wednesday.
But the presidential spokesman has a contrary view. According to him, what the Tinubu administration has done is acceptable globally and should be applauded rather than criticized.
He pointed out that the fund for the project was approved by the Federal Executive Council, FEC, adding that the project is part of the administration efforts to address the nation’s power problems through renewable energy solutions.
Onanuga: “The White House in Washington D.C. uses solar power.
“We are not reinventing the wheel. We are following a tested and globally accepted model for powering important national institutions sustainably.
“This isn’t just about saving money on fuel and maintenance costs in the long run; it’s about leading by example. If the President’s residence can go green, so can other institutions across Nigeria.”
Recall that one of Tinubu’s ministers, Adebayo Adelabu, the Minister of Power recently received a serious backlash from not a few Nigerians after he claimed that over 150 Nigerians enjoy electricity supply in their homes.
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