Rita Odafe
The University of Lagos, UNILAG, is experiencing a blackout as the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) disconnected power supply to the institution because of unpaid electricity bills.
In a statement released by the university management on Wednesday, August 28, this development was highlighted.
Recently, EKEDC elevated UNILAG’s tariff category from “Band B” to “Band A,” leading to a significant increase in the monthly electricity charges.
Before the reclassification, UNILAG used to pay between N150 million and N180 million per month.
However, with the new “Band A” tariff, the June bill nearly doubled, amounting to close to N300 million.
The university management expressed disappointment over the power outage that has affected the campus since Tuesday.
Despite the ongoing discussions with EKEDC and a payment of N180 million on August 20, the university was disconnected from the power supply on August 27 without any prior notification.
“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 mentioned.
