The management of Babcock of University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State, has cried out over the “exorbitant” monthly electricity expenses charged by the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC).Learn new skills, Babcock varsity advises students

The Vice-Chancellor/President of the university, Ademola Tayo, said the university paid N300 million as a bill in May after the reclassification of customers to Band A.

Mr Tayo made this known on Sunday morning during his address at the ongoing 22nd undergraduate and 13th postgraduate convocation of the university, where a total of 2,842 graduates from graduate and postgraduate schools are being celebrated.

The VC pleaded with the government to “review the electricity tariff of education institutions.”

“In Nigeria, investing in education is crucial for economic growth and development. We need policies that prioritise education funding and support universities in navigating these economic challenges,” he said.

Recently, the authorities at the College of Medicine of the University of Lagos (CMUL) and the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) also cried out over what they described as an outrageous electricity bill charged by Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) for the same month.

The healthcare institutions told PREMIUM TIMES that they were jointly presented with a bill of about N280 million for May instead of the less than N100 million they used to pay.

Due to the disagreement over the bill, for about ten days between June and July, electricity to the two health institutions was disconnected, leading to a protest by medical students who said the poor power supply could lead to their failure in their examinations.

CMUL Provost David Oke and Chief Medical Director (CMD) of LUTH Wasiu Adeyemo also pleaded for a review, noting that the public institutions cannot sustain the electricity bill.

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Meanwhile, in his comments, the General Manager, Corporate Communications of EKEDC, Babatunde Lasaki, clarified that “Band A” isn’t enforced as perceived but determined by the feeder and location.

“Nobody can force a band on anybody. It is about your area and the feeder serving your area. If the feeder serving your area is giving you a 20-hour power supply and above, automatically, you guys fall under Band A,” Mr Lasakin explained.

Hike in electricity tariff
In April, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) announced a hike in electricity tariffs for Band A customers, noting that they are offered an average daily electricity supply of 20 hours, although many complain they do not get up to that.

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NERC Vice Chairman Musiliu Oseni said the Band A consumers represent 15 per cent of the population but consume 40 per cent of the nation’s electricity.

He noted that the increase would not affect Bands B, C, D, and E while noting that the number of customers previously on Band A has been reduced.