Lagos — The Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (CVCNU) has warned that university students may face increased charges of up to N80,000 per student due to soaring electricity tariffs.
In an interview on Friday, Secretary-General of CVCNU, Prof Yakubu Ochefu, revealed that universities are struggling with monthly electricity bills exceeding N200 million. The surge in costs follows a substantial hike in electricity tariffs for Band A customers, who receive power for at least 20 hours a day.
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) announced in April 2024 that the tariff for Band A customers increased from N68 per kilowatt-hour (KWh) to N225 per KWh—a 300 percent rise. This adjustment has led to universities like Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria and the University of Benin receiving electricity bills totaling N3.6 billion, averaging N300 million monthly.
Prof Lilian Salami, Vice-Chancellor of UNIBEN, disclosed that the university had been disconnected from the national grid due to its inability to afford the N300 million monthly bill. Similarly, Babcock University reported spending N300 million on electricity in May alone.
Ochefu criticized the new tariff structure, stating that before the hike, universities paid approximately N1 billion annually for electricity. With the new rates, this cost has ballooned to around N4 billion per year. He warned that without intervention from the Federal Government, universities may have to pass these costs onto students or drastically cut operational hours.
“For instance, UNIBEN is now running a generator for four hours daily at a cost of N60 million a month,” Ochefu said. “This situation is unsustainable, impacting essential services like libraries, internet access, and laboratories.”
The vice-chancellors have appealed to the Federal Government for a concessionary rate or a return to previous tariff levels. According to Ochefu, despite writing to the President, there has been no response. The matter is now with the pro-chancellors, who are expected to follow up on the request.
“The charges presented before us are unrealistic. Universities cannot sustain N200 million or N300 million monthly electricity bills,” Ochefu added. “We urgently need the Federal Government to reconsider this decision to prevent further strain on our educational institutions and students.”
