The Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU) has warned that 52 federal universities may collapse soon due to the recent hike in electricity tariff, which has increased their overhead costs by over 300%.
The Vice Chancellors had earlier requested a concessionary electricity tariff rate from the Federal Government to alleviate the financial burden on these institutions.
Secretary to the CVCNU, Prof. Yakubu Ochefu, stated that if the government does not prevail on the Distribution Companies (Discos) to reduce the electricity tariff, the universities may collapse soon.
He noted that while the government has funded solar power plants for about 10 federal universities, the remaining 52 institutions rely on the Discos for electricity supply, which has proven costly.
“The Federal Government has funded solar power plants in some universities like the University of Agriculture in Makurdi. They don’t depend on the Discos as they generate their own power. But there are less than 10 federal universities that have such solar power plants out of about 62 federal universities, which means 52 others do not have,” Prof. Ochefu explained.
He added, “That is why we say in the interim, they should remove us from Band A and create a discretionary band for educational establishments so that we can be paying the rates we are paying before or something slightly higher. But to pay the commercial rates that everybody is paying is not sustainable. It will cripple the operations of the universities.”
The Vice Chancellors have written to the President, urging him to take action to address the situation.
“So, it is either they move us from Band A to another band, which will give us reduced costs, support us in our effort to move to our alternate power sources or allow us to charge at an economic rate so that we can pass the cost down to the end users, which are the students. The Federal Government has to sit and consider any of the options for us. But they are yet to respond to us,” Prof. Ochefu said.
When asked if increasing allocations to the universities would cover the electricity cost, Prof. Ochefu replied, “Even if they increase the allocation, it will not make a big impact.” He noted that the situation is already affecting students, citing the recent protest at the University of Benin (UNIBEN) over electricity.
Prof. Francis Egbokhare of the University of Ibadan commented on the situation, “I quite understand what the VC committee is talking about because the universities are not allowed to exceed a certain level of charges for fees.”
He suggested that the government and universities should enter into a workable agreement to address the issue.
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