President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to overhauling Nigeria’s health sector, stressing the urgent need to address persistent power supply challenges in the country’s medical institutions.
Speaking through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, at the National Stakeholders Dialogue on Power in the Health Sector, held on Tuesday in Abuja, President Tinubu stressed that no Nigerian should die due to power interruptions in healthcare facilities.
‘Today, we face a pressing issue that affects every Nigerian: the persistent power supply crisis in our tertiary hospitals and public health institutions.
‘In surgical theatres, maternity wards, intensive care units, laboratories, and emergency rooms across the country, power outages too often compromise safety, interrupt care, and cost lives.
‘This crisis demands our immediate attention and concerted action’, Tinubu stated, according to a statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the SGF, Yomi Odunuga.
According to the statement, the president described the situation as unacceptable and pledged that his government would prioritise sustainable energy solutions for health facilities nationwide.
‘These outages cannot continue, and under our administration, they should not. Lives are at stake. We must act now’, he said.
The President explained that efforts to improve the energy situation in healthcare are part of a broader national strategy under the Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to decentralise energy solutions and foster private sector involvement.
‘Let me therefore affirm unequivocally that my administration is fully committed to the transformation of our health sector by targeting innovative solutions at the hydra-headed challenges bedevilling the sector, including the sub-optimal, inefficient and often uneconomical electricity supply that drives up the cost of services, disrupts care, compromises quality and increases patient dissatisfaction.
‘This initiative to advance energy solutions in our hospitals is not an isolated intervention. It is an integral part of the strategic direction of the Renewed Hope Agenda to address energy poverty in Nigeria by decentralising and deploying tailor-made solutions and promoting private sector participation’, President Tinubu stated.
He reassured private investors of a conducive environment for business in the health, energy, and infrastructure sectors. President Tinubu said the government is ready to collaborate with credible partners, particularly in renewable and hybrid energy systems.
Citing ongoing national initiatives, the president said, ‘Through the Energy Transition Plan and our Power Sector Reform initiatives, we are building a robust foundation for cleaner, more resilient, and more decentralised energy delivery systems across Nigeria.
‘These efforts are deeply rooted in the principles of sustainability, innovation, and inclusivity’.
He noted that the Energy Transition Plan would prioritise off-grid solar and hybrid systems for critical public infrastructure. It will also offer incentives for private sector engagement, supportive regulations, and innovative financing models to attract both local and international investments.
For decades, Nigeria’s health sector has been plagued by underfunding, inadequate infrastructure, and systemic inefficiencies — all of which have contributed to poor health outcomes, high medical tourism, and the exodus of healthcare professionals.
Among the most persistent and life-threatening issues is the unreliable power supply in medical facilities.
Despite these assurances, concrete implementation of key policies related to power supply in the health sector has been slow. In August 2024, the Federal Government announced a 50 per cent electricity subsidy for public hospitals and educational institutions, aimed at easing the financial burden caused by rising energy tariffs.
A few months later, health sector stakeholders, including the Medical and Dental Consultants’ Association of Nigeria, reported that many hospitals continue to pay full energy costs, suggesting that the subsidy has not been effectively rolled out.
In February 2025, the Coordinating Minister of Health, Muhammad Pate, disclosed that the national budget had made provisions for solar energy projects in public hospitals, including the University College Hospital in Ibadan. The initiative followed a highly publicised 100-day blackout at the teaching hospital, which severely disrupted surgeries, diagnostic services, and training activities.
Further efforts to address the crisis were made in March 2025 when the government convened a national dialogue and inaugurated a multi-agency committee to develop a comprehensive energy policy for the health sector.
In parallel, the president in August 2025 approved a ₦100 billion provision for the National Public Sector Solarisation Initiative, which aims to equip public institutions, including hospitals, with solar power systems.
Despite these ongoing initiatives, the healthcare sector continues to struggle under the weight of unreliable electricity. Many public hospitals, particularly outside major cities, are frequently plunged into darkness, forcing medical staff to rely on flashlights and backup generators during critical procedures.
