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NANS vows showdown with varsities over planned N80,000 electricity bill
The National Association of Nigerian Students has opposed the proposed electricity tariff of N80,000 per student by the Committee of Vice-Chancellors of Nigerian Universities.
The proposed hike is seen as a response to the surging costs of electricity in the country, which universities claim they can no longer afford to cover without passing the burden onto students.
Recall that Secretary-General of the CVCNU, Professor Yakubu Ochefu, recently revealed that university students might be required to pay as much as N80,000 each to help manage the escalating electricity costs.
Ochefu noted that each universities which was previously charged N61m monthly, was now paying above N200m due to the introduction of the Band A system and the subsequent hike in electricity tariffs.
In April 2024, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission raised the electricity tariff for Band A customers from N68/KWh to N225/KWh, marking a staggering 300 per cent increase.
Band A customers are those who receive electricity for at least 20 hours per day.
Reacting to this development, NANS National President, Lucky Emonefe, in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, opposed the idea of transferring the electricity costs to students.
“It is not possible. Nigerian students cannot pay such exorbitant fees. While we understand there has been hike in electricity tariffs, the burden cannot be put on the students,” Emonefe stated.
He emphasised that NANS’ commitment to resisting any attempt to increase electricity tariffs for students across the institutions.
He said, “The electricity tariff hike is one of the issues we are engaging the government on. It is not the fault of the Vice Chancellors, but we agree that the government should remove our institutions from Band A and place them in Band B. No Nigerian student will pay that N80,000; we will reject it.”
The Academic Staff Union of Universities also weighed in on the issue, calling for increased government funding for universities.
ASUU National President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, stressed that improved funding would enable universities to operate independently and potentially generate their power.
He further elaborated on the need for universities to receive adequate funding to explore self-sufficient energy solutions.
He said, “There are several issues wrong with the system. The funding is poor, and given the current environment, there is no way students can handle such a bill.
“There is no justification for this electricity hike in universities. You cannot charge them at a different rate. By right, everybody should be getting equal electricity, whether you are in Band A or Band B.
“If you fund the universities very well, every university can generate its electricity. If the universities are challenged to do that, we will. But now, universities cannot award contracts without going through the ministries.
“It is so sad because the universities are not allowed to operate on their own. If they are, they can do the necessary research to generate electricity on their own.”
On the other hand, the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors has advised universities to adapt to the current realities of increased electricity costs.
The Executive Director of Research & Advocacy at Discos, Sunday Oduntan, stated that reversing the tariff increase was not feasible.
“That is the reality of our time. If the businesses apply it, it is fixed by the regulator and not by the discos using realistic economic realities. If they say we should not consider the cost of production, that means all the businesses will fold up, and there will not be light,” Oduntan explained.
The National Examinations Council (NECO) has given accreditation to more foreign schools to write the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) and the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
The Acting Director, Information and Public Relations, Mr. Azeez Sani, disclosed this in a statement.
The newly accredited schools are in Niger Republic and Equatorial Guinea.
“NECO Accreditation Team visited the Schools to assess their readiness to write the SSCE and BECE.
“The Accreditation Team inspected classrooms, laboratories, libraries, computer laboratories, workshops, examination halls and sport facilities to determine their adequacy and suitability for NECO Examinations.
“After a thorough evaluation and comprehensive assessment, the schools were granted full SSCE and full BECE accreditation status,” the statement said.
The statement added that the accreditation of additional foreign schools is a testament to NECO’s commitment to providing quality education and assessment beyond the shores of Nigeria.
“With its expanding global presence, NECO is poised to become a leading examination body in Africa, offering opportunities for students worldwide to benefits from its expertise, thus contributing to the advancement of education in Africa and beyond.”
In another development, the statement disclosed that candidates are participating in the on-going NECO SSCE External in Diffa, Niger Republic.
“The UNHCR School, Diffa, Niger Republic is the first NECO SSCE External Centre outside Nigeria.”
NECO examinations are now written by candidates in Benin Republic, Togo, Cote’ d’Ivoire, Niger Republic, Equatorial Guinea and Saudi Arabia.
Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, suffered the worst defeat of his managerial career as they lost 4-0 to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday night.
The Premier League champions were already on a run of four consecutive defeats ahead of the visit of the North London side.
James Maddison scored twice in the first half to set Spurs on their way to a sensational win.
Pedro Porro drilled in a third, before Brennan Johnson got on the scoresheet late in the game.
The result leaves City in second place with 23 points. They could go eight points behind Liverpool by the end of this Game Week.
Guardiola takes his men to Anfield next weekend.
News
FUOYE Re-Marks Exam Papers of Student Failed By Lecturer Over Sex-for-Grade Scandal, Secures Justice
The Federal University, Oye Ekiti, Ekiti State, has cleared a female student, Ramota Olahanloye, to graduate following the re-marking of her final-year examination scripts.
Olahanloye had alleged that a lecturer, Dr. Anthony Agbegbedia, demanded sexual favours from her, and when she declined, he deliberately failed her in two final-year courses.
In a statement issued on Friday by the Special Adviser on Media to the Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Wole Balogun, the university confirmed that Olahanloye’s allegations were investigated, and her scripts were re-marked.
“The young lady’s scripts were re-marked, and she performed fairly better than the scores initially awarded by Dr. Anthony Agbegbedia,” the statement read.
According to Balogun, the university management approved Olahanloye’s revised results, which qualified her for graduation.
“The university management has given executive approval for her results to be processed. She has since commenced her final clearance from relevant units of the university,” the statement added.
Balogun also disclosed that Agbegbedia had been sanctioned by the institution for his misconduct.
Olahanloye expressed her joy over the resolution of the case, saying, “I am happy that I have gotten justice, and I really appreciate the university Vice-Chancellor for setting up the committee that investigated the matter.
“I was shown my entire results, including the graduation list with my name on it. I have started my clearance as a graduating student of the university, and I am truly happy.”
Her father, Rasaki Olahanloye, also lauded the university for its commitment to justice.
“I can confirm to the world that FUOYE has served justice to my daughter. I was shown her upgraded results after her scripts were re-marked, and it is clear that she passed.
“The university fulfilled its promise to ensure fairness, and I appreciate the VC, Prof. Sunday Fasina, and the committee members for ensuring my daughter gets justice,” he said.
School principal suspended in Akwa Ibom over poor feeding of students
NECO accredits more foreign schools for SSCE, BECE
Guardiola suffers worst defeat of career as Tottenham hammer Man City 4-0
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