The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has called on Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to reverse the power bills paid by universities which is estimated at N275billion annually, in the face of the recent tariffs increase.
Emmanuel Osodeke, the president of ASUU made the call recently when demanded for a reversal of the per-unit billing on campuses, as the universities’ power bill rose by 300 percent, hitting a N21.480 billion monthly rate.
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission had earlier in April announced an increase in electricity tariff paid by Band A customers from N68/KWh to N225/KWh, a 300 percent increment; and incidentally. the universities are under Band A where electricity consumers are entitled to enjoy power supply for at least 20 hours every day.
With this new development, many tertiary institutions are lamenting the surging power bills as a result of the new tariff.
Prior to the tariff increase, all the Nigerian 274 universities paid N5.3 million monthly bills.
However, in the face of the new tariffs, the universities now pay N21.5million monthly bills.
Osodeke criticised the Band A classification for the universities, stating that electricity tariffs are a nationwide concern and not limited to universities alone.
“The idea of categorising consumers into bands such as Band A or Band B is flawed. Billing should be based on actual consumption, with a consistent per-unit rate for all users.
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“If someone receives 14 hours of electricity, they naturally pay more because they use more, but automatically charging them more simply because they fall under Band A is illogical. This new system is terrible and unfair,” he said.
He insisted the federal government must ensure fairness to all, citing the increased electricity tariffs, emphasising that all users should be charged based on the actual units of electricity consumed, with a uniform rate, rather than being categorised into different bands.
“We suggest that the rate should be equitable for everyone. People will pay more because they consume more energy, not because of arbitrary classifications.
“The system should be fair to all Nigerians, charging solely based on the actual electricity units consumed. Whether in universities, towns, or villages, everyone should pay the same rate per unit of energy consumed,” Osodeke said.
Similarly, the Committees of pro-chancellors and vice-chancellors of Nigerian universities (CVCNU) had called for a concession in electricity tariffs for all 274 universities.
Yakubu Ochefu , the secretary-general of CVCNU in his report said the average monthly electricity cost for first-generation universities increased from approximately N80million to N300million, while for second-generation universities, it rose from N50million to N200million.
“Electricity costs for first-generation tech/agric universities increased from N30million to N150million. First-generation state universities also saw an increase from N30million to N150million.
“Second-generation state universities 1999/2000 experienced the same hike, from N30million to N150million,” he said.
In addition, he said; “First and second-generation private universities’ costs rose from N10million to N60million, and universities established by Goodluck Jonathan, the former president of Nigeria, increased monthly from N20million to N100million.”
