The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has said it is set to deliver the N10 billion electricity projects this year for eight universities and one university teaching hospital as they were captured in the 2017 budget appropriation.

The projects, which are under the Energizing Education Programme (EEP), will provide dedicated and reliable electricity to federal universities mostly situated in the rural and underserved communities.

A statement from the deputy director, Public Affairs of the agency, Ahmed Abubakar, said “the programme is on course for delivery in 2018, and is already part of the 2017 budget.”

The managing director of REA, Mrs. Damilola Ogunbiyi, said in the statement that majority of the universities under the EEP are located in rural and underserved communities, hence the REA’s involvement.

The agency said it has achieved five milestones that were crucial to the delivery of the projects this year. Some of these include securing an approval by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in 2017, signing the pacts for Phase I with the nine institutions, and the inclusion of the projects in the 2017 appropriation and the proposed 2018 budget.

The others are obtaining a ‘No Objection’ from the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) to award the contracts for the Phase I EEP projects, and the approval from Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to continue the projects.

The institutions benefitting from the Phase I include Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU), Bauchi; Bayero University Kano (BUK); Usumanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto (UDUS); Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi (FUAM) and Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Anambra.

The others are University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka; Federal University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE), Delta State; Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Osun State, and Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital.

DAILY TRUST