By Joyce Remi-Babayeju
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has made concrete moves to end power outages in tertiary hospitals and prioritize reliable power supply for healthcare services
in the country.
The President emphasized that fixing the power crisis in Nigerian hospitals is now a national priority, adding that unreliable electricity supply in health facilities is a life-threatening challenge that demands urgent action.
The President, who was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume revealed this on Tuesday in Abuja at a two-day National Stakeholders’ Dialogue Meeting on Power in the Health Sector with the theme,”Powering Health Through Public-Private Synergy: Energizing Nigeria’s Health Sector for the Future.
The President noted that reliable and affordable power is central to improving healthcare delivery, thereby restoring public confidence in the health sector.
However, he commended the collaboration between the Federal Ministries of Health and the Power Ministry, which he likened to a testament to the present administration’s resolve to promote synergy among MDAs.
“Working as a team would deliver sustainable solutions to electricity challenges in the health sector,” he noted.
Tinubu lamented the persistent power supply crisis in tertiary hospitals as a crisis that demands urgent and immediate action to save lives.
“In surgical theaters, maternity wards, intensive care units, laboratories, and emergency rooms across the country, power outages too often compromise safety, interrupt care, and cost lives. These outages cannot continue, and under our administration, they should not. Lives are at stake. We must act now,” Tinubu declared.
Mr. President stated that addressing energy challenges in hospitals in the “Dialogue on Power” ,is integral to his Renewed Hope Agenda, which prioritizes tackling energy poverty, decentralizing supply, and expanding private sector participation.
He explained that through the Energy Transition Plan and ongoing power sector reforms, the government, aims to deploy off-grid solar and hybrid systems for health facilities, incentivize private investment, and leverage blended financing with development partners.
Meanwhile, President Tinubu has challenged health institutions to adopt sustainable, community-owned systems rather than temporary fixes and urged stakeholders to turn dialogue into measurable action.
“This dialogue must not be a talk shop. It must yield actionable outcomes—alignment of policies, institutionalization of energy audits in hospitals, mobilization of social and green financing, and establishment of a results-driven accountability framework,” he said.
The President used the occasion to congratulate the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, the Honourable Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako and, the Honourable Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, for convening the dialogue, assuring them of his full political support.
“The success of this initiative will not be measured by the speeches we deliver but by the uninterrupted light in our hospitals, the hum of functioning equipment, and the renewed confidence of every Nigerian who walks into a public health facility,” Tinubu stated.
Prof. Ali Pate stated that power and connectivity remain the two missing links in Nigeria’s health transformation, stressing the need for partnerships to mobilize private capital through public private partnerships.
Dr. Salako warned that unreliable electricity is the second biggest barrier to healthcare delivery after funding gaps, citing a BudgIT survey.
He urged stakeholders to act collectively, noting, “Every time a hospital is plunged into darkness, lives are put at risk. Powering health is not optional—it is essential for our survival.”
This is therefore the time to be creative as we move to develop and adopt smart energy solutions that will strengthen our health system and empower us to deliver on our core mandate of improving population health outcomes,” he further declared.
Chief Adebayo Adelabu, the Honourable Minister of Power, commended the idea of linking energy and health, as he highlighted reforms under the Electricity Act 2023, the National Integrated Energy Policy, and renewable transition projects, including solar mini-grids for healthcare centres.
Speaking earlier, , Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare,Daju Kachollom highlighted the critical importance of electricity in our hospitals, describing it as “a matter of life, dignity, and hope”.
She underscored the need to ensuring that every Nigerian, regardless of geography or circumstances has access to affordable healthcare supported by reliable and sustainable power.
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