The presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Adewole Adebayo, has promised to provide between 11 and 15 kilowatts of solar power on every Nigerian roof within 11 months if elected president in the 2027 general election.
Adebayo made the pledge on Tuesday while answering questions on Arise Television’s Prime Time, where he outlined his proposed approach to Nigeria’s electricity crisis and broader economic development.
The SDP candidate said his administration would establish solar panel manufacturing factories across Nigeria while training Nigerians to install, operate and maintain solar energy systems.
“I promise that between 11 to 15 kilowatts of solar power will be put on every roof within 11 months,” Adebayo said.
He said he had previously advised governments on electricity-related issues and had conducted a solar energy experiment in his hometown.
According to him, he trained about 2,000 people in solar technology and has experience manufacturing solar panels and lithium batteries.
“I did an experiment in my hometown. I have about 2,000 people I trained on solar, because I manufacture the solar panels myself. I do lithium battery,” he said.
Adebayo explained that while he could manufacture solar panels and batteries, he currently sourced inverters from elsewhere.
“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 added.
The presidential candidate proposed partnerships with countries including China, Turkey and India to establish solar manufacturing facilities in Nigeria. He said Nigerians would be trained to work in the factories and maintain the systems.
Adebayo said the proposed solar clusters would provide electricity for households while creating employment opportunities and reducing pressure on Nigeria’s national grid.
He proposed a decentralised electricity model in which communities would generate power locally, while the national grid would serve as a backup system.
“National grid is a backup. In case a cluster fails, you will power from there,” he said.
Adebayo also claimed that the proposed clusters could collectively generate up to 32,000 megawatts of electricity, although he did not provide further technical details during the interview on how the target would be achieved or how the 11 to 15kW allocation per roof would be financed and deployed nationwide.
The SDP candidate linked his electricity plan to his broader economic strategy, arguing that government investment in strategic sectors could simultaneously address infrastructure gaps and create jobs.
He cited aviation, manufacturing, electricity and education among the sectors where he believes government can play a stronger investment role.
Rather than leaving strategic industries entirely to private operators, Adebayo proposed the use of operating and maintenance contracts through which government could retain a strategic role while private-sector expertise is deployed.
He also identified domestic oil refining and crude oil theft as major issues that his proposed administration would address as part of its energy strategy.
Adebayo claimed that as much as 900,000 barrels of crude oil were still being stolen and argued that recovering the lost production would improve crude supply without requiring additional government expenditure.
The SDP candidate said increased investment in electricity and other critical sectors would also generate employment because government-funded projects would require workers and create income across the economy.
His solar pledge adds another major energy proposal to the growing list of policy promises being presented by presidential candidates ahead of the 2027 Nigerian election, with electricity supply and energy costs remaining major issues for households and businesses.
Adebayo’s proposed 11-month timeline and the scale of the planned solar deployment would, however, require significant investment, manufacturing capacity, installation personnel and financing arrangements. Details of how his administration would fund and execute the nationwide programme were not provided in the interview.
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