NEDC installs solar power systems in Adamawa LGs
August 25, 2026 1:35 am
By Taiwo Ojoye
The perennial power outages in Adamawa State may soon become a thing of the past as the North East Development Commission has commenced the installation of solar power systems across the state’s 21 local government areas.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Arewa Punch on Monday, NEDC’s Adamawa State coordinator, Alhaji Khalifa Lawan, said the project was being implemented under Pillar Seven of the commission’s master plan and was designed to boost small-scale business activities across the state.
Lawan said the project would not only improve economic activities but also contribute to reducing criminal activities by providing lighting in communities.
“The solar power system is not only going to improve business activities; it will also reduce criminal activities in the state.
“Criminals enjoy operating in darkness, but when there is light, they are afraid because they can be identified by people who know them. So, the solar power system has security advantages apart from boosting business activities,” he said.
He disclosed that more than 2,000 solar power systems would be installed in Yola, the state capital, while each of the 21 local government areas would receive 350 systems at different locations, in addition to existing solar installations in the state capital.
“We have identified 1,000 locations in the 21 local government areas for the first phase of the solar power systems project. This is different from the solar-powered boreholes being installed across the state,” Lawan added.
The coordinator explained that NEDC projects were driven by the needs of beneficiary communities, stressing that the commission does not impose projects on communities.
“We don’t just go to a community and execute any project we want. We ask the benefiting community what its immediate needs are. If it is water, a hospital, road or school, we carry out the project of their choice,” he stated.
Lawan urged communities to protect projects provided by the commission to ensure that they continue to serve the people.
Meanwhile, the NEDC Managing Director, Alhaji Mohammed Alkali, last month announced the approval of about N100 billion for the construction of a 50-megawatt power grid to supply electricity to some of the 102 local government areas across the six states of the North-East.
Alkali said the commission had resolved that terrorism and other criminal activities would no longer define the way of life of people in the region, adding that the goal was to facilitate a return to normal life anchored on the people’s culture and activities in commerce, agriculture, industry and education.
He said the commission’s activities since its inception seven years ago had been guided by its master plan for the region, which is anchored on four major pillars: Stabilisation and Recovery, Renewal, Expansion, and Sustainable Growth.
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