Niger State has everything to host Nigeria's solar manufacturing hub - Hon. Suleiman Umar

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The Honourable Commissioner for Power and Renewable Energy, Niger State, Hon. Suleiman Umar, has welcomed the position of the Honourable Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, on boosting local solar production before restricting imports.

Reacting to the Minister's statement that Nigeria must build its own manufacturing capacity first, Hon. Suleiman Umar said the Federal Government has taken the right step and Niger State is fully ready to be the centre of that revolution.

"That is the exact suggestion we have been making. You cannot ban what you cannot produce. What the Minister said is wisdom. First build capacity, then protect it," the Commissioner said.

Hon. Suleiman Umar said Niger State has all it takes to host solar manufacturing in Nigeria.

"We have the land. Niger State has over 76,000 square kilometres of land, the largest in Nigeria. We have the manpower. We have energetic youths who are capable, trainable and ready to work. We have huge unemployment Nigerians that this kind of industrialisation will solve, and we have millions of our population who are still not covered with electricity. That population itself is a market."

The Commissioner noted that Niger State's environment is naturally sufficient for sustainable development growth, especially for renewable energy. With abundant sunshine, large water bodies, and vast unoccupied land, the state is ideal for solar panel manufacturing, assembly plants, and large-scale solar farms.

According to him, if the Federal Government is engaging Turkish companies and other foreign manufacturers, Niger State should be their first destination.

"Under the leadership of Farmer Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, we have already shown that Niger State means business in power. We signed our own Electricity Law. We are doing 100MW solar in Makunkele, we are connecting 180 communities, we are powering institutions with solar. We have shown we have the political will," he said.

Hon. Suleiman Umar added that local manufacturing will create three things at once for Nigeria - cheap and affordable solar for the common man, jobs for youths through factories and installation, and quality control against substandard panels.

He commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's Renewed Hope Solarisation Project and the Barefoot Renewable Energy College initiative, saying Niger State will key into the skills development programme to train thousands of youths as solar technicians and manufacturers.

"Niger State is not just ready to use solar, we are ready to produce solar. The future of renewable energy in Nigeria will be built here," he assured.


From: Office of the Honourable Commissioner for Power and Renewable Energy, Niger State 

A.B Makama, Media Strategist




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