UNILAG to Host Summit on Electricity Crisis in Varsities on October 23

By Charles Maduka

The University of Lagos (UNILAG) is set to host a summit on the electricity crisis in Nigerian educational institutions.

At the Professor Tolu Odugbemi hall of the university on October 23, 2024, stakeholders will discuss solutions to the spate of high tariffs which have disrupted academic activities in educational institutions across the country.

In a statement, Education Writers Association of Nigeria (EWAN), the organizers of the event, said government officials including the ministers of education, power and health are scheduled to attend.

Bayo Adelabu, the Minister of Power, is expected to deliver a keynote address titled “High Tariffs: Solving the Electricity Crisis in Nigerian Schools”.

The Executive Secretary of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Sonny Echono, is slated to present a paper on refocusing TETFund’s support towards technology-driven solutions for universities.

Prof. Tahir Mamman, the Minister of Education, and Prof. Mohammad Pate, the Minister of Health, would jointly chair the event.

Dr. Chris Maiyaki, Acting Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission (NUC), will be one of several panelists at the summit, while Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, the Vice-Chancellor of UNILAG, will welcome participants.

Among others, the Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Sanusi Garba, and Chief Sunday Oduntan, Managing Director of the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), will be present to offer insights into the regulatory and distribution challenges affecting power supply to schools.

Speaking on the purpose of the summit, the Chairman of EWAN, Mojeed Alabi, emphasised the urgency of addressing electricity debts in universities.

He pointed out that some federal universities are struggling with massive unpaid bills which have resulted in repeated power disconnections.

”Universities across the country, from the University of Benin to the University of Nigeria and even the University of Lagos, are grappling with unresolved electricity bills,” he said.

“At one point, ABU’s electricity debt exceeded N2 billion, and private institutions are not exempted. Babcock University recently reported a N300 million electricity bill for May alone.”

He noted that teaching hospitals across the country also face unpaid electricity debts, a situation which he warned poses severe risks to public health.

“The consequences of this crisis are devastating for education and healthcare, two critical sectors that Nigeria must prioritise,” Alabi added.