By Gloria Ikibah
The House of Representatives Committee on Renewable Energy has summoned the Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Abba Aliyu, to appear before it on Wednesday, 26 February 2026, over ongoing renewable energy projects nationwide.
The decision was taken on Tuesday after the agency’s chief failed to honour an earlier invitation to attend an investigative hearing at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja. Committee members subsequently adopted a motion compelling his appearance as part of their oversight responsibilities. 
The inquiry stems from a resolution passed by the House in October 2022, directing the committee to examine how green and renewable energy projects are domiciled and implemented across federal ministries, departments and agencies.
Chairman of the committee, Rep. Afam Ogene, explained that the committee is carrying out a detailed audit of renewable energy interventions executed by the REA. Particular attention is being given to projects delivered under Phases I, II and III of the Energising Education Programme.
Rep. Ogene set out the breadth of the Committee’s inquiry, making clear that lawmakers intend to scrutinise both the structure and execution of renewable energy initiatives across government.
He explained that the Committee’s mandate includes the need to “investigate the domiciliation of green energy projects with inappropriate entities, aiming to prevent substandard implementation and loss of value.
“To examine foreign grants and government investments received in the renewable energy sector from 2015 to date.
“To assess the utilisation of renewable energy in ministries, departments, and agencies of the Federal Government”, he stated.
Rep. Ogene said the investigation is not merely procedural but necessary to safeguard public funds and ensure that renewable energy interventions deliver tangible results.
He also turned attention to what he described as a visible and troubling pattern across the country — the rapid deterioration of public lighting infrastructure.
“If you look around you, whether in the cities where some of us reside or our rural areas, you will most likely notice that many of the streetlights installed for the good of the people go bad less than six months after installation. Why is it so?
“Do streetlights in Europe and other parts of the world suffer the same fate? What could be responsible for this economic wastage, considering the high cost of procurement and installation of these dysfunctional streetlights to the nation?”, Ogene added.
According to him, the recurring failure of such projects points to deeper systemic issues that extend beyond technical faults.
“The prevalence of dysfunctional streetlights,” he added, “raises concerns about procurement practices, maintenance, and the overall value for public investment.
“Comparing our infrastructure to global standards, such as those in Europe, highlights potential inefficiencies and areas for improvement.”
His remarks underscored the Committee’s broader objective: to ensure that renewable energy projects — and public infrastructure more generally — are executed transparently, maintained properly and deliver value commensurate with the resources committed.
Also speaking, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, who was represented by the Deputy Minority Leader, Abdullahi Halims, described the investigative hearing as a critical parliamentary exercise.
According to him, a key objective of the Electricity Act, 2023, is to provide a holistic and integrated policy framework that accommodates all sources of electricity generation, transmission and distribution, including renewable energy.
He said: “There is a global quest for safer, sustainable and renewable energy, on account of the glaring impact of carbon emissions from fossil fuels on our environment. The growing effects of global warming and climate change are not only reserved as topic for big climate conferences around the world, but could alarmingly be felt all around us in different forms.”
He urged the Committee to conduct a thorough investigation, noting that renewable energy remains central to Nigeria’s sustainable development agenda.
“Renewable energy is a sure way to go. Besides the need for clean energy, there’s also a growing conversation across board about sustainable development in every sphere of life, or sectors of corporate or governance structures”, Abbas stated.
As part of the review, all contractors and developers involved in the programme have been instructed to appear before the committee with full documentation relating to their contracts.
Projects under scrutiny include solar hybrid power installations at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University and its Teaching Hospital in Bauchi; Bayero University, Kano; the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi; and the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, Effurun. Other institutions listed for review are the Federal University Ndufu-Alike in Ikwo; Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka; and Usman Danfodio University, Sokoto.
Contractors handling solar hybrid systems at the University of Abuja now known as General Yakubu Gowon University, as well as the Nigeria Defence Academy, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike, and the University of Maiduguri have also been directed to present comprehensive records.
These include original and certified copies of contract award letters, executed agreements, memoranda of understanding and technical specifications. The committee is additionally requesting engineering designs, feasibility studies, implementation timelines, commissioning certificates, progress reports and long-term sustainability plans.
The exercise marks the latest step in the House’s effort to ensure transparency, accountability and value for money in the deployment of renewable energy projects intended to strengthen power supply in federal tertiary institutions.
