In the bustling corridors of Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, students often joke that the power supply is like an unfaithful friend — never there when you need it most. In Funtua Water Works, engineers have learned to keep a hand on the diesel generator’s start switch, just in case the lights flicker. And in the maternity ward at Turai Yar’adua Hospital, midwives have, more than once, delivered babies under the glow of rechargeable lanterns.
But all that may soon become a story of the past.
This week, the Katsina State Executive Council, led by Governor Malam Dikko Umaru Radda, approved a ₦19.89 billion plan that could transform the state’s energy story. The decision, reached during the Council’s 10th meeting, greenlights the installation of 20.1 megawatts peak of solar power, paired with 10.1 megawatt-hours of battery storage, across 11 vital public facilities.
Katsina State Deputy Governor, Malam Farouk Jobe at SEC Meeting
The project is not simply about replacing diesel fumes with clean sunlight. It’s about making sure water keeps flowing in taps, even on days the national grid falters. It’s about operating theatres that stay bright and cool during surgeries, classrooms that hum with computers instead of silence, and courtrooms where justice can proceed without the judge pausing to check if the lights will go out.
From Ajiwa, Zobe, and Funtua Water Works to hospitals, polytechnics, the State High Court, and the House of Assembly, the reach of this initiative is broad. The goal is simple: uninterrupted, reliable, and cost-effective electricity for the services that keep society running.
The plan also breathes new life into an old dream. The Lambar Rimi Wind Farm, once hailed as a bold step into renewable energy but long hampered by challenges, will be revived and expanded with 10 more megawatts of solar power. The state will keep full ownership of the facility, while a Special Purpose Vehicle will manage its day-to-day operations and power sales, ensuring it delivers on its promise this time.
Governor Radda’s team frames this as part of a bigger picture: an energy-secure Katsina, one less tethered to the fragile national grid. Special Adviser on Power and Energy, Dr. Hafiz Ibrahim Ahmed, calls it “a decisive step towards a brighter, more sustainable future,” one that strengthens essential services, attracts investment, and positions Katsina as a leader in environmental responsibility.
The procurement process will follow global best practices, ensuring that the state gets high-quality solar panels, hybrid inverters, and battery systems at the most competitive prices.
Unlike many grand government plans that fade into delay, this one is set to begin immediately. Installations will roll out in phases, prioritizing institutions where uninterrupted power is most critical.
For the student revising for an exam, the doctor in the middle of an operation, or the technician at a water plant, the difference will be more than numbers on a budget sheet — it will be felt in every flick of a light switch that works, every tap that runs, every machine that hums steadily without pause.
And perhaps, in a few years, when the people of Katsina look back, they’ll remember this week not just as the moment their state invested in solar and wind, but as the moment they began to trust the power again.
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