The Presidential Villa, Aso Rock, is expected to stop drawing electricity from Nigeria’s national power grid by March 2026 as the Federal Government concludes its transition to solar energy.
The State House Permanent Secretary, Temitope Fashedemi, disclosed this while presenting the 2026 budget of the State House before the Senate Committee on Special Duties in Abuja.
He explained that the solar power project at the Villa was completed late in 2025 and has been undergoing technical testing since December.
According to Fashedemi, the ongoing tests have shown promising results, giving the government confidence that a full switch to solar power can be achieved within the next month.
He cited the State House Medical Centre as a working example of the project’s effectiveness. The facility reportedly completed its own solar installation in May 2025 and has since operated almost entirely on renewable energy, with minimal reliance on electricity supplied by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC).
Fashedemi said the centre has not used its generators since the solar system became operational, adding that only a small fraction of grid power was consumed during a brief period.
The Federal Government allocated ₦10 billion for the Villa’s solar mini-grid project in the 2025 budget, with an additional ₦7 billion provided for the initiative in the 2026 Appropriation Bill. While the project initially attracted public criticism, government officials have defended it as a cost-saving measure.
The Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Mustapha Abdullahi, previously noted that the Villa’s annual electricity expenses were estimated at about ₦47 billion, describing continued dependence on the national grid as unsustainable.
Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga has also pointed to the use of solar energy at the White House as a global example of adopting renewable power at government facilities.
Before the solar project, the Presidential Villa had accumulated significant electricity debts. In early 2024, AEDC listed the Villa among major government defaulters, with unpaid bills running close to ₦1 billion. Following negotiations, the outstanding amount was reduced, and President Bola Tinubu directed that it be cleared.
Fashedemi told lawmakers that the testing phase of the solar project also revealed instances of overbilling by electricity providers, including charges for power that was not supplied. He said discussions were ongoing to reconcile these discrepancies.
With the expected full transition, the Permanent Secretary said the Villa’s ageing generators would largely become unnecessary, except for limited backup use.
Meanwhile, during the budget defence, the Senate Committee Chairman, Senator Kaka Lawan, criticised the ₦127 million provision for utility vehicles in the State House budget, describing it as insufficient for security and official duties. He directed the Budget Office to review the allocation upward.
Despite the concerns, the senator commended the State House for appearing promptly before the committee, describing it as a positive example for other government agencies.
