High Tariff: Nigerian ministers, others to speak on electricity crisis in Nigerian schools

Nigeria’s Ministers of Education and Power, Tahir Mamman and Adebayo Adelabu respectively, are billed to speak on the electricity crisis affecting educational institutions in Nigeria at an education summit coming up on Wednesday, 23 October.

The fifth edition of such summit, organised by a group of journalists under the aegis of the Education Writers’ Association of Nigeria (EWAN), is aimed at addressing the escalating conflicts between tertiary institutions and electricity distribution companies (Discos) due to high electricity tariffs.

It is to be hosted by the University of Lagos (UNILAG) at the Professor Tolu Odugbemi Hall of the university’s staff school.

This is contained in a statement signed by the secretary of the organising committee, Christiana Akande, and the chairperson of the publicity subcommittee, Elizabeth Osayande.

Some Nigerian universities are currently at loggerheads with the electricity distribution companies over their migration to Band A, which has more than tripled their electricity bills since May. The situation has also affected several teaching hospitals across the country, many of them protesting the new tariff regimes.

Summit theme

According to the organisers, the Minister of Power, Mr Adelabu, will deliver a keynote speech on the theme: “High Tariffs: Resolving Electricity Crisis in Nigeria’s Education Institutions” while Mr Mamman, and the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Pate, bo3x

th professors, are to chair and co-chair the event respectively, the statement added.

The Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Sonny Echono, is also scheduled to deliver a paper on how to refocus support for the country’s tertiary institutions.

“The summit promises to be a pivotal gathering for stakeholders seeking solutions to the intertwined challenges of education funding and electricity supply, emphasising that innovative approaches are necessary to adapt to the changing educational landscape,” the statement said.

Why the theme?

The Chairperson of EWAN, Mojeed Alabi, said two major issues of electricity and misplaced priorities in the choice of support for tertiary institutions are considered worthy of attention and discussion by stakeholders.

Mr Alabi, who heads the Development Desk of PREMIUM TIMES, noted that the crisis between some universities and electricity distribution companies has reached an alarming stage that requires urgent intervention.

He said: “From the University of Benin to Ahmadu Bello University, University of Nigeria, Obafemi Awolowo University, and even the University of Lagos, there are lingering issues of unresolved electricity bills and the unfortunate frequent disconnection of power by the already privatised electricity distribution companies.

“The other day, Babcock University, Nigeria’s pioneer private university, announced that it received a N300 million bill for the month of May, and at a time, ABU was owing more than N2 billion. The situation with the teaching hospitals is worse. The consequences are terrible for the nation. And we believe that it is high time we dissipated energy on resolving such critical issues rather than sharing rice and millet for the people. Only quality and affordable education and health services can address the multifaceted challenges confronting Nigeria”.

Panellists, guests

According to the statement, there would be a panel session to dissect the presentations made.

The panellists include; the Executive Vice-Chairman of the Nigeria Communications Commission (NCC), Aminu Maida; President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Emmanuel Osodeke, a professor; Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), Akintunde Sawyerr; the National President of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), Mohammed Ibrahim, and the National Presidents of both the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) and the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), Shammah Kpanja and Smart Olugbeko, respectively.

Others are; the Chairperson of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Sanusi Garba; the Acting Executive Secretary of the National Universities Commission (NUC), Chris Maiyaki; Chairman of the Forum of Chief Medical Directors of Nigerian Teaching Hospitals, Emem Bassey, a professor, and the Executive Secretary of the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE), Paulinus Ekwelle, also a professor; the Chairman of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Registrars of Private Universities, Kabiru Adeyemo, a professor; the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), Sunday Oduntan, and the National President of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), Yomi Otubela.