By Charles Maduka
Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) has cut off the power supply to the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, due to unpaid electricity bills.
The university management announced this in a statement on Wednesday, revealing that the school has been struggling with rising electricity costs. The situation worsened after EKEDC upgraded the university’s tariff category from “Band B” to “Band A,” which led to a sharp increase in monthly electricity bills.
Before this change, UNILAG was paying between N150 million and N180 million per month. However, the June bill under the new “Band A” tariff nearly doubled to almost N300 million. This 100% increase has become difficult for the university to manage.
The management expressed regret over the blackout that began on Tuesday. They explained that despite ongoing negotiations with EKEDC and a recent payment of N180 million on August 20, the university was disconnected from the power supply on August 27 without any prior notice.
“Just two weeks after our meeting, we were hit with a staggering bill of nearly half a billion naira (N472 million) for July, further increasing our debt burden! We kept our promise and paid N180 million on August 20, yet on August 27, EKEDC disconnected us without notice and has refused to reconnect the university to the national grid,” the statement read.
The university management assured the community that efforts are being made to resolve the issue with EKEDC. They called for calm and announced that power supply across the campus would be rationed until further notice.
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