Lawmakers of the House of Representatives on Monday, September 2, 2024, commended President Bola Tinubu for approving a 50 per cent electricity subsidy for universities, hospitals, and other tertiary institutions of learning.
The Chairman of the House Committee on University Education, Abubakar Fulata, in a statement commended the president for his magnanimity in yielding to their call and subsidising electricity tariffs for tertiary institutions.
According to Mr Fulata, his committee in the last few weeks had visited over 30 federal universities in 25 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
He said that the high electricity tariff had affected almost all the universities in Nigeria.
His words, “While almost all the universities are struggling to pay the high electricity tariff, some of them have been disconnected from public light by the electricity distribution companies.
“Prior to the grouping of electricity users that placed universities in Band ‘A’, which is the group that pays the highest electricity tariff, some of the universities could no longer afford the bill,” Mr Fulata said.
Giving an instance, the committee chairman stated that the University of Jos was paying around N20 million monthly but after the grouping, the institution’s monthly electricity tariff jumped up to over N100 million.
He said that UNIJOS was one of the universities disconnected from public light due to the challenge of high tariffs.
He said, “So we are grateful for this decision the President has taken as it will go a long way in addressing the challenge of electricity supply in the tertiary institutions of learning in the country.”
He said that this was not the first time the President would listen and yield to the lawmakers’ call for improvement in the educational sector.
According to him, they have talked about the issue of IPPIS, which brought a heavy burden on university management, like seeking permission from about seven MDAs before even a cleaner would be recruited.
He added that the President listened and approved the removal of tertiary institutions from IPPIS, adding that the President also yielded its call to reconstitute the councils for tertiary institutions.
Fulata expressed confidence that irrespective of political affiliation, ethnic, and religious differences, the lawmakers would continue to partner with the executive arm.
This, he said, also includes relevant stakeholders to improve the standard of education in the country.
