President Bola Tinubu has inaugurated Africa’s first renewable energy college; the Barefoot Renewable Energy College, Osara, (BARECKS), and the Green Hydrogen Research and Demonstration Pilot Plant in Kogi State.
President Tinubu described the citadel of learning as a world-class edifice, completed to international standards.
The Nigerian leader said “the difficulty confronting Nigeria in converting its endowment into megawatts, and megawatts into jobs will now be addressed by the college.”
President Tinubu, who was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, inaugurated the college located within the Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara, Kogi State, said he was satisfied with the completion of the project.
He noted that his administration has always maintained “that a government is measured by the industries it plants and by the households those industries feed.”
Furthermore, the President observed that with the Barefoot Renewable Energy College and the Green Hydrogen Research and Demonstration Pilot Plant now open for studies, the question about whose hands should build and maintain Africa’s future has been answered.
He said: “This is the first institution of its kind on the African continent, modelled on the celebrated vocational colleges of India that turned unlettered grandmothers into solar engineers.
“If that method could light the villages of Rajasthan, it can light the settlements of Kogi, Ondo and Cross River. Nigeria assumes, from today, the position of pacesetter in renewable energy capacity development across Africa.”
“Two years ago, we stood on this ground for the groundbreaking of this institution, with red earth underfoot and the ambition of a few determined Nigerians for company. Today, we stand before a world-class edifice, completed to international standards,” he said.
Closing Gaps
The Nigerian leader stated that the college was built as “a vocational and technical institution to close the widest gap in Africa’s energy transition” which, according to him, is the shortage of competent technical manpower.
President Tinubu said “Our continent has never suffered a deficit of intention. We have suffered the scarcity of hands trained to execute them.
“The college will produce technicians, installers, operators and maintenance professionals with practical competence in renewable energy technologies.”
He noted that graduates from the college will earn internationally recognised certificates of proficiency qualifying them for employment anywhere in the world.
The President called on development partners, the private sector, international organisations and research institutions to join hands with the college to expand research, innovation and technical training, assuring that Nigeria is prepared to host and lead such collaboration.
Commendation
President Tinubu applauded the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, and the Director General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria.
He said the Minister carried the project from the drawing board to the commissioning ceremony through their persistence.
The President also commended Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, the government and his people for providing the environment that made the project possible.
Governor Ododo said the inauguration of the college was a clear indication that Nigeria is on the path to sustainable development through investment in human capital.
He noted that the college will strengthen the country’s energy sector through capacity building, while attracting investment and creating opportunities for communities.
The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Kingsley Udeh, described the project as a major investment in human capital development and job creation.
He stated that it reflects the Nigerian Government’s commitment to building a knowledge-driven economy.
Dr. Udeh maintained that Nigeria’s ambition of becoming a one-trillion-dollar economy depends on developing a skilled workforce in strategic sectors such as renewable energy, urging the pioneer trainees to uphold high technical and ethical standards as well as serve as worthy ambassadors of the institution.
Facilities
The Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Dr. Mustapha Abdullahi, said; “the facility is equipped with smart classrooms, battery energy laboratories, a mini-grid simulation center, energy efficiency laboratories, and other modern training facilities.’
Dr. Abdullahi explained that “the college will produce highly skilled professionals in renewable energy research and development in line with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.”
Also, the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, Dr. Ahmed Tijjani Anaje, said the project will provide young people with valuable technical skills, enabling them to contribute meaningfully to national development, even as he thanked the federal government for locating the institution in the state.
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