One month after President Bola Tinubu approved a 50 per cent electricity subsidy for public hospitals and educational institutions, the subsidy is yet to be implemented.
According to the PUNCH, the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities expressed concern over the delay, revealing that universities are still struggling with high electricity bills despite the President’s directive.
Speaking in an interview with the Secretary-General of the CVCNU, Prof. Yakubu Ochefu, said there had been no official explanation for the delay.
“We are still where we were before.There has been no official communication, and universities are still paying exorbitant bills. Some institutions are even threatened with power disconnection,” he said.
Ochefu added that in some cases, private individuals, council chairmen, and alumni associations have stepped in to help pay the mounting electricity bills.
He noted, “We are hoping that by the end of this month, if nothing changes, we will have to push for a meeting with the President, who initially gave the directive, to address the lack of compliance.”
The electricity distribution companies had increased tariffs by 300 per cent for Band A customers, affecting several institutions, including universities and hospitals.
Despite opposition from stakeholders such as the Nigeria Labour Congress, the tariff hike has been implemented, leaving these institutions grappling with higher costs.
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Benin and Chairman of the CVCNU, Prof. Lilian Salami, had previously highlighted the financial strain, stating that her university’s monthly electricity bill jumped from N80 million to N280 million, making it increasingly difficult to cover the costs.
Efforts to obtain a response from the spokesperson of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, Usman Arabi, were unsuccessful, as calls and messages went unanswered as of the time of filing this report.
Meanwhile, the Director of Information and Public Relations at the Ministry of Power, Mrs. Dibiaezue-Eke Florence, stated that she had yet to receive full details on the situation but promised to provide an update as soon as possible.
