UNIMAID RAISES ALARM OVER POWER OUTAGE

Luqman Akintunde reports

The management of University of Maiduguri, Maiduguri, Borno State has voiced out over the lingering electricity disconnection of the University by the Yola Electricity Distribution Company, YEDC.

The registrar, Ahmad Lawan on Monday 5th June, 2023 signed a memo lamenting the displeasure situation the campus is since on Tuesday, 30th of May, 2023 without any consideration as a result of certain amount of money owing the supplying company, YEDC.

Lawan explained that it is obvious that Nigerian universities are currently in contact with financial dilemma having prevented many highest institution of learning functioning out of normalcy. Stressing that the University has however been keeping up with the payment to YEDC as much as it could despite the obstacles.

According to the registrar, “The University paid ₦34,500,000.00 for the month of February, 2023. It paid the sum of ₦47,000,000 for the months of January and March 2023. For the month of April 2023 which is the bone of the contention, YEDC brought a bill of ₦48,702,256.88.” The don emphasised.

Ahmad further noted that the management in trying hard to ensure stable power on campus went forth to source for fund to raise advance payment of the bill of April 2023, but this made no satisfaction to YEDC insisting full payment at once. Adding that as it is on record, the institution has been part of Yola Disco in regular payments of electricity bills. “It is on record that the University of Maiduguri has been the leading establishment that has lived up to expectations in its commitment at settling power bills to YEDC.”

He therefore expatiate that the management is on a recordable and trackable efforts to put everything in place for the power to be restored back on campus expressing that the management regreted and displeased with the action of YEDC, and pleaded with both the staff and the students to patiently bear the reality for the mean time.

It could be recalled that the management of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna state has postponed the resumption of its students which was slated for Monday May 29, 2023 indefinitely in view to the same disconnection of power supply to the school by the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, KAEDCO leaving the school entirely on about one month blackout and two academic week of 2nd Semester, 2021/2022 academic session wasting.