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The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman on Thursday called for cheaper electricity rates for universities and other tertiary institutions in the country.
Reacting to the disconnection of the entire campus of the University of Lagos by the Eko Electricity Distribution Company despite paying an outstanding debt of N180 million, the minister, while speaking at the inauguration of the TETFund Board of Trustees and the governing councils on Thursday in Abuja, described the move as insensitive.
While raising an alarm that the electricity bills on tertiary institutions were too much, he urged the governing councils to brace to surmount the challenges that lie ahead.
He said, “The electricity company there disconnected that university from power because they have not paid their bills. Do you know what that bill is? Two months ago, the Vice Chancellor reported to my office that she had a bill of N272 million for that month, for one month just July.
“She screamed, of course, we all screamed with her. Only last week, she came back with another bad news she was given a bill of N472 million.
“Since that time, she’s been paying about N180 million to that electricity company but that wasn’t sufficient for the electricity company so they went and disconnected that institution yesterday.
“To me, it’s just insanity if an institution is paying that much and they think it’s not sufficient it’s just the height of insensitivity.
Earlier, Mamman called on the Tertiary Education Trust Fund Board of Trustees and the governing councils of some federal tertiary institutions to explore creative ways to bring resources to their respective institutions. He also urged them to leverage their expertise to drive significant improvements in quality and performance across educational establishments.
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