The Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman, says there was a need for tertiary institutions in the country to be treated to a discount on their electricity bills to enable them have constant supply of electricity to function optimally.

Reacting to the disconnection of the entire campus of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) by the Eko Electricity Distribution Company despite paying an outstanding debt of N180 million, the minister described the move as insensitive.

Mamman said this while speaking at the inauguration of the TETFund Board of Trustees and the governing councils in Abuja on Thursday, August 29, 2024.

While raising an alarm that the electricity bills on tertiary institutions were too much, he urged the governing councils to brace up to surmount the challenges that lies ahead.

The minister said: “The electricity company there disconnected that university from power because they have not paid their bills. 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 that 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.

Eko DisCo disconnects UNILAG over unpaid N472m bill

“As a short-term measure, I’m discussing with my colleague in the power sector to find a means of getting the university’s tertiary institutions a discounted rate.”

Mamman further disclosed that the ministry and tertiary institutions were already working on a long-term plan that would ensure stable electricity to enable the institutions operate optimally, especially in laboratories and research works.

He added: “We’ve got very far already with getting CNG-powered energy to the universities across the country in different slots and different cohorts. In this way, they will have uninterrupted supply at a much-discounted rate and climate-friendly.

“Practically all the universities have signed up. The president has approved at the commencement of the cabinet so we are pursuing that with a lot of vigour so that we can have enough electricity in the university for them to be able to conduct research.

“A lot of the labs cannot function well; some of the experiments cannot be conducted without a steady source of light. We are all working together to solve all these problems that are out there confronting us and militating against our progress.”

The Star