By Professor Ani Casimir, KC
Osara in Kogi State, Nigeria, has turned into another Jerusalem and a history maker for the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, administration in the critical sub-energy sector. The Honourable Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology is chalking up huge creditable records that are increasing his validity and positive visibility in the eyes of the Presidency—something never witnessed before by his predecessors in office. He is a record breaker, as Osara has made national history under President Tinubu’s watch as the new vista of sustainable energy generation. In a historic leap toward sustainable power and green economic growth, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has commissioned the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) Complex and the pioneer Barefoot Renewable Energy College in Osara, Kogi State, Nigeria. Described as the first of its kind in Africa, the project stands as a strategic cornerstone of the Federal Government’s commitment to energy security, technical capacity building, and clean energy transition under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
The Honourable Minister waxed poetic as he hailed the commissioning of BARECKS and the Green Hydrogen Pilot Plant, which President Tinubu reaffirmed as a practical manifestation of his commitment to innovation-led development. The elated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, represented by Vice President Senator Kashim Shettima, GCON, commissioned the Barefoot Renewable Energy College (BARECKS) and the Green Hydrogen Research and Demonstration Pilot Plant in Kogi State. The Honourable Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Dr. Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, SAN, beaming with patriotic pride, described the landmark projects as a bold demonstration of the Federal Government’s commitment to innovation, renewable energy, and sustainable national development. While giving his keynote address at the commissioning ceremony, the Minister said the twin projects reaffirm the Federal Government’s resolve under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda to build a knowledge-driven economy where Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) serve as catalysts for industrialization, job creation, economic prosperity, and sustainable national development. He noted that the Ministry remains focused on translating research into practical solutions, innovation into commercial opportunities, and scientific discoveries into national wealth.
The National Strategic Investment for a Sustainable Energy Future
Highlighting the transformative vision behind this historic development, the Honourable Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Dr. Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, SAN, described the complex as a strategic national investment designed to bridge Nigeria’s technical skills gap and power its renewable energy infrastructure. “The Energy Commission of Nigeria Complex and the Barefoot Renewable Energy College perfectly align with and project the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President,” Minister Udeh stated after the successful commissioning of the Osara Energy Project. “It will promote job creation, economic diversification, improved energy access, poverty reduction, and sustainable development.”
The Barefoot Renewable Energy College is structured to deliver hands-on, practical training in solar technology, biomass, and other decentralized renewable platforms. By equipping technicians, youth, and rural innovators with market-ready skills, the institution will nurture and sustain a massive concentration of an indigenous workforce capable of installing, maintaining, and scaling clean energy systems across West Africa. The Honourable Minister and the Presidency have spent quite some time ensuring that everything is in place for the success of the commissioning. Now that it has taken place, we need to highlight the insider details of this strategic breakthrough in Nigeria’s sustainable renewable energy institutionalization.
Key Highlights of the Osara Complex
1) Each facility and unit in the College is an innovative project initiative with core functional impact for Nigeria’s technological transformation and development. Nigeria is on the move in Africa as a core driver of technological innovation. A conceptual clarification of the complex’s separate units will illustrate this strategic benchmark with the Osara College curriculum layout:
2) Barefoot Renewable Energy College: Practical vocational training in solar, biomass, and renewable technologies to build a skilled workforce.
3) Green Hydrogen Research & Demonstration Pilot Plant: Decentralized green hydrogen testing as a clean alternative to diesel generators.
4) National “Research to Revenue” Alignment: Translating home-grown indigenous scientific innovation into commercialized, market-driven energy solutions.
5) Net-Zero 2060 Commitment: Targeting greenhouse gas reduction across the industrial, transportation, and power sectors.
Pioneering Green Hydrogen Innovation
The four core functional areas go beyond vocational training. A technical layout identifies the Osara complex’s technological innovative energy project that houses the Green Hydrogen Research and Demonstration Pilot Plant. The facility serves as a testing ground for decentralized green hydrogen systems—a zero-emission alternative designed to offset heavy reliance on diesel generators, particularly in regions with fragile grid infrastructure. Dr. Udeh emphasized that diversifying Nigeria’s energy mix with green hydrogen directly advances the country’s pledge to attain net-zero carbon emissions by 2060. The Ministerial vision mirrors the President’s Renewed Hope vision that cascades to many functional divisions: first, the Barefoot Energy College, and second, the Green Hydrogen Facility. In the first place, the Barefoot College will generate and activate practical training, workplace upskilling, and local technical assembly. On the other hand, the Green Hydrogen Facility will establish a diesel alternative for Nigeria, increase grid stabilization, and help Nigeria achieve the 2060 net-zero target set by Mr. President.
As the Honourable Minister, Dr. Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, SAN, assured: “Osara will empower Nigeria and Mr. President to achieve this strategic energy target for the nation.”
…to be continued in the next part.