The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, Adewole Adebayo, has promised to install between 11 and 15 kilowatts of solar power on every Nigerian roof within 11 months if elected President in 2027.
Adebayo made the promise during an interview on Arise Television’s Prime Time on Tuesday, where he outlined his plan to address Nigeria’s electricity challenges.
He said his administration would move away from relying solely on the national grid by developing solar power clusters across the country.
“I promise that between 11 and 15 kilowatts of solar power will be put on every roof within 11 months,” Adebayo said.
According to him, the proposed solar clusters would provide electricity for basic household needs, create jobs for Nigerians, and increase the country’s power generation capacity.
He said the clusters could generate up to 32,000 megawatts, while the national grid would serve mainly as a backup system.
“You put all of that, and you generate employment, and you now generate up to 32,000 megawatts from these clusters that you do. Then you forget about it. I told them that the how to manage the national grid.
“National grid is a backup. In case a cluster fails, you will get power from there,” he said.
Adebayo also proposed the establishment of solar-panel manufacturing plants in different parts of the country.
He said Nigeria could partner with countries such as China, Turkey and India to establish the factories, while Nigerians would be trained to manufacture, install and maintain solar power equipment.
The SDP candidate said he had practical experience in solar technology, claiming that he had tested the technology in his hometown and trained about 2,000 people.
“I experimented in my hometown. I have about 2,000 people I trained on solar, because I manufacture the solar panels myself. I do lithium batteries.
“The only thing I haven’t got the technological power to do is the inverter. So I buy the inverter. I do the solar battery,” he said.
Beyond electricity, Adebayo said his administration would invest in strategic sectors of the economy, including aviation and manufacturing.
He argued that the government could remain involved in such sectors through operating and maintenance contracts rather than leaving them entirely to private operators.
On electricity generation, the SDP candidate said domestic refining and the fight against crude oil theft would be among his priorities.
He identified crude oil theft as one of the major problems affecting Nigeria’s energy security and economic growth.
Adebayo claimed that as much as 900,000 barrels of crude oil were still being stolen, arguing that recovering the lost oil would increase supply without requiring additional government spending.
He also said government investment in critical sectors such as electricity and education could create employment, as workers employed in those sectors would earn incomes and contribute to economic activity.
