Pro-democracy and civil rights advocacy group, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), has described the decision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to migrate the electricity power supply system in the Presidential Villa to Solar system as the clearest admission of the crass inefficiency and incompetency of the Minister of Power just as the Rights group said the decision also signpost the extremely unaffordable costs of electricity power supply by the Transmission Company of Nigeria and the DISCOS.

“The reason of cost as a factor in deciding on this Solar power supply project shows that this federal government is aware that the costs passed on to the unfortunate citizens still hooked on to the National Grid by the sets of opportunistic entrepreneurs running the DISCOS, is not only unsustainable but FRAUDULENT.

HURIWA recalled that the Presidency had defended the controversial N10 billion solar power project proposed for the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, citing global best practices, including the use of solar energy at the White House in Washington D.C., United States.

Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, on Tuesday, shared a video clip of solar panels installed at the White House, noting that the Nigerian Presidency was only following the footsteps of developed nations in transitioning to renewable energy.

“The White House in Washington D.C. uses solar power,” Onanuga wrote in the caption accompanying the video posted on X.

Bayo Onanuga’s comments follow growing public backlash over the proposed multi-billion naira project. While some Nigerians have welcomed the initiative as a step towards sustainable energy and reduced dependence on the erratic national grid, others have criticised it as an extravagant move that underscores the persistent failures of Nigeria’s electricity sector.

HURIWA while reacting agreed with the overwhelming public opinion that the selfish decision to spend a whooping sum of N10 billion of public money on solar infrastructure for a single location, the seat of government, sends the wrong signal in a country where millions live without access to reliable electricity.

HURIWA affirmed that there is logically no doubt in our minds that the Solar energy project for the Presidential villa in Abuja is a reflection of the general lack of commitment to fixing the national grid and improving power distribution nationwide just as this is a direct official response to the fake propaganda that circulated from government circles that 150 million Nigerian households are now covered by electricity power supply from the national Grid.

“We in HURIWA can only be grateful to God that from the same lying government that circulated the misinformation that all is well with the power supply system through the National Grid has also come out to deflate and debunk the phantom story that 150 million Nigerian households now enjoy 24/7 electricity power supply.

“Therefore we are happy that this preposterous and unproven assertion from this government has been dramatically debunked by the official action of the household of the President and the Vice President to commission a N10 billion Solar power supply project to the Presidential mansions and official complex in Abuja.

“Another aspect of this story is the exposure of the scam by the DISCOS that charge their customers based on some fraudulent classifications of Band A, B and C just as it is evidently clear that the costs attached to these classifications are nothing but products of fraud and outright government authorised thefts of the scarce financial resources of millions of struggling people of Nigeria because contrary to the official claim, the customers on Band A have never enjoyed up to the minimum 20 hours per day of electricity power supply that made them qualified to be classified as BAND A CUSTOMETS. This pricing system is not different from HUSHPUPPY’s advanced fees fraud. This is outrageous and reprehensible.”