The Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Abba Aliyu, has explained the Nigerian government’s deployment of mini-grids as backup to the current blackout and drop in electricity supply Nigerians face.

He stated that the mini-grid deployment bypasses Nigeria’s national grid flaws.

Aliyu made this explanation in a recent interview.

According to him, the Nigerian government has begun deploying mini-grids directly within isolated communities to provide completely independent electricity.

Aliyu noted that REA has internalized lessons from the national grid failures to enhance its mini-grid policy implementation to the underserved communities.

He added that the agency ensures that every mini-grid installation includes its own dedicated distribution network and 100% metering.

“We’ve learned from the mistakes of the main grid, so every mini-grid we deploy includes a distribution network, 100% metering, and a SCADA system that allows performance to be monitored via a phone.

“In peri-urban communities with existing distribution networks but unreliable power, we bring in our generation plant. We work with DISCOs through service-level agreements, where we provide solar power during the day, and the distribution companies are expected to provide power at night.

“If the DISCO fails to provide power, our battery storage system kicks in. We are also currently deploying 50 interconnected mini-grids that will inject 280 megawatts of reliable supply into the grid,” he explained.

This comes amid the uproar that greeted the planned disconnection of the presidential villa from the national grid and the shift to 100 percent solar from March 2026.

DAILY POST reports that power allocated to discos has dropped for the past months, leaving the majority of Nigerians in blackout.