The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Salako, has said that the Federal Government will prioritise the use of solar energy to address the persistent electricity challenges affecting health facilities across the country.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE News on Thursday, Dr. Salako explained the government’s commitment to finding lasting solutions to the problem of power supply in hospitals.
“We’re going to use a lot of solar energy, blended financing mechanisms, grants mechanisms, even budgetary funding to be able to push that,” he said.
The minister said that several proposals had already been presented since he assumed office. “Since I became minister of state, for example, I can tell you that I’ve received not less than five or six proposals of people who come forward and say, look, we want to go and do a mini solar grid in your hospital,” he stated.
He also drew attention to the enormous cost hospitals currently face in running diesel generators due to the absence of stable electricity.
“Hospitals are spending huge amounts every month just to power generators. Some hospitals spend as much as 20 to 30 million naira on diesel monthly. This is not sustainable,” Dr. Salako revealed.
He stressed that the government was determined to create the right policy environment that would encourage the private sector to participate in addressing electricity shortages in hospitals.
“We want a guarantee that you take the power, and then over time you pay. But we do not have that right policy environment to properly manage that, to ensure that it is the best advantage of the ordinary Nigerian. And this dialogue has helped us to be able to pivot in that direction,” Dr. Salako said.
The minister noted that the recently signed compact was aimed at achieving a 50 percent improvement in electricity supply to Nigerian health facilities by 2027.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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