Lawmakers Summon REA Boss, Contractors Over Energy Education Project Failures

February 25, 2026
February 25, 2026
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The House of Representatives Committee on Renewable Energy is intensifying its probe of the Energizing Education Programme (EEP), inviting the Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Abba Aliyu, to appear before it over the implementation of solar power projects in federal tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

The decision followed the failure of the REA chief to honour an earlier invitation to attend an investigative hearing at the National Assembly Complex, Abuja.

He will appear  before the panel on Wednesday, February 26, 2026, to answer questions bordering on the execution, funding structure, procurement process and long-term sustainability of projects under Phases I, II and III of the EEP.

Chairman of the Committee, Afam Ogene, explained that the ongoing probe is part of the House’s October 2022 resolution mandating the panel to investigate the domiciliation and implementation of green and renewable energy projects across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), with particular emphasis on value for money and compliance with due process.

The Committee is examining whether contracts were properly awarded, projects executed according to specification and whether beneficiary institutions are currently enjoying the intended benefits.

Tertiary institutions covered in the ongoing review include the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University and its Teaching Hospital; Bayero University Kano; Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi; and Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun.

Also listed are Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike; Nnamdi Azikiwe University; and Usmanu Danfodiyo University.

Contractors handling solar hybrid installations at the University of Abuja (now Yakubu Gowon University), the Nigeria Defence Academy; Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike; and University of Maiduguri have also been directed to appear before the Committee.

They are expected to present original and certified true copies of contract award letters, executed agreements, memoranda of understanding, technical specifications, engineering drawings, feasibility studies, implementation timelines, commissioning certificates and sustainability plans.

He stressed that the investigation is not a witch-hunt but part of the House’s constitutional oversight responsibility.

“Our mandate is to ensure transparency and accountability. We must verify that public funds and foreign grants invested in renewable energy projects since 2015 have delivered measurable results,” he said.

He expressed concern over reports of poorly executed projects and non-functional public lighting infrastructure in parts of the country, questioning whether adequate supervision and maintenance frameworks were in place.

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