Adebayo made the pledge during an appearance on Arise Television’s Prime Time, where he presented decentralised solar generation as a central part of his proposed solution to Nigeria’s persistent electricity problems. He argued that the country should reduce its reliance on expensive conventional grid expansion and move towards locally produced and distributed renewable energy.
Under the proposal, solar systems would be installed in clusters across communities, with the aim of allowing households to generate enough electricity for basic domestic activities while reducing pressure on the national grid. Adebayo said the proposed solar clusters could generate up to 32,000 megawatts, while the existing national grid would increasingly serve as a backup system.
The SDP candidate also linked the proposal to local industrial development. He said Nigeria should manufacture solar panels domestically and train Nigerians to install, operate and maintain the systems. In his view, such an approach would address electricity shortages while creating employment in manufacturing, installation and maintenance.
Adebayo said he had proposed a similar approach more than two decades ago. According to him, the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo consulted him in 2001, when he recommended establishing a solar-panel manufacturing facility through cooperation with countries such as China or India and training Nigerians to install the equipment.
He also questioned the continued use of conventional transmission infrastructure for rural electrification, arguing that decentralised solar systems could be more practical in areas where extending the national grid is expensive or difficult. He suggested that funding could be drawn from resources available at the local-government level.
The proposal forms part of Adebayo’s broader 2027 economic and development agenda, which includes increased investment in infrastructure, energy, agriculture and manufacturing. He has separately set a target of 75,000 megawatts of electricity generation, combining solar, gas and hydroelectric power while rehabilitating existing hydro facilities.
The scale and speed of the rooftop-solar pledge, however, would present a major implementation challenge. Installing 11 to 15 kilowatts of capacity on every Nigerian roof within 11 months would require enormous financing, manufacturing capacity, equipment supply, trained personnel, distribution networks and coordination across thousands of communities. Adebayo has outlined the direction of the policy and argued that government spending can simultaneously improve electricity supply and create jobs, but the practical details of nationwide deployment would be critical if the proposal were to become government policy.
Adebayo is also promising broader reforms in his four-year programme. He has said an SDP administration would seek to eliminate poverty and tackle insecurity within four years, while using public investment in sectors such as education, healthcare and infrastructure to create employment.
For voters, the solar proposal is therefore both an ambitious electricity plan and a test of how Adebayo intends to move from policy promises to nationwide implementation. The central question will be whether the financing, manufacturing, installation and technical framework required to put such a large amount of solar capacity in place can realistically be delivered within the promised 11-month period.
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