Connect with us

News

ABU professors write Tinubu over ‘looming energy crisis’

Published

on

Your Excellency

Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR

President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

The Visitor

Advertisement

Ahmadu Bello University

Zaria

Sir,

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE VISITOR, PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU, GCFR, OVER THE LOOMING ENERGY CRISIS IN AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA

Advertisement

We, the undersigned Nigerian citizens and academic staff of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, wish to forward a complaint over the debilitating energy crisis bedeviling Ahmadu Bello University – given the centrality of electricity supply to university operations – and seek your intervention for its resolution. We take this action out of the conviction that, as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Visitor to the University, Your Excellency is in a position to mediate over the matter especially because the crisis aggravated with the recent high increase in electricity tariff in the country, which ABU in particular, and Nigerian Public Universities in general, cannot afford due to their weak financial position resulting from chronic underfunding.

We also seek Your Excellency’s intervention because even where hard economic realities dictate recourse to commercialization of utilities, educational institutions should be safeguarded from the burden of meeting market-induced pricing, especially where their capacity to do so is highly constrained. As educational institutions of high value to public good, universities should be shielded from the extremities of commercialization.

The Ahmadu Bello University is a first-generation university established by Law [Cap A. 14 of the Federal Laws; The Universities Miscellaneous Provisions (Amendment) Act 2003].

Your Excellency, history and the Nigerian people will bear witness that for over sixty years ABU has served as a major organic driver and facilitator of national development through the production of quality and functional knowledge with sound moral content and the generation of skilled manpower through men and women of all races, nations, gender and creed for all sectors of the society, economy and culture at the national, continental and global levels. The University also attained eminence through its strong support of liberation struggles in Africa and beyond.

Advertisement

You are aware, Sir, that higher education is the backbone of any modern nation state and the marker of its performance, achievements, cultural standards, level of civilization and the prestige it commands in the comity of nations. It was Adam Smith who said that the true wealth of a nation is not gold or silver or a positive balance of trade, but rather its productive citizenry – its human capital in form of skills, knowledge and creativity.

Your Excellency, in today’s knowledge-based world, the Ahmadu Bello University, like other Nigerian universities, can exist, function, and execute its mandate only if such critical enablers of modern university – basic infrastructure for teaching, learning and research, including ICT[1]based substructure, quality manpower, unrestricted energy supply, and high-level funding, are firmly in place. For a developing nation that is yet to build a solid industrial base, the University is a significant national resource that requires the priority attention of government.

As an experienced public figure, Your Excellency knows that in the current knowledge, science and technology driven world, the acquisition of education is the minimal condition for survival and this makes education a basic need. The provision of basic needs to citizens or creating the conditions that enable citizens to meet their basic needs is a fundamental responsibility of government, a sign of good governance and for developing nations a sine qua non of governance.

Yet, it is common knowledge that the economics of education financing is unique, because it is not directly subject to the laws of supply and demand. Researches here in ABU, as elsewhere, have since established the truism that higher education, and indeed education in all its forms, is very expensive in its capital requirements, and exceptionally so in its recurrent expenditure, though very slow, but sure, in yielding returns.

Advertisement

The aforementioned facts imply that wise countries deploy today’s resources for the purposes of tackling the problems of tomorrow and answering the questions of today and of the future.

This is done through massive commitment of national social, financial and human capital. In this regard, no self-respecting nation will justify its education in pure economic terms or by the use of the profit motif argument. Sadly, the commodification of education has been the bane of the policies of successive Nigerian governments, especially since the imposition of the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) in 1986. This trend has steadily negated the utilitarian value of education and demeaned its significance as a necessity in the current competitive world order and our deplorable level of underdevelopment.

Your Excellency, it is our candid view that your government has embraced the neo-liberal, market-oriented reform agenda with uncritical zeal and haste in spite of the high level of stagnation of our economy, the progressive decline of the purchasing power of the national currency, depressed wages, widespread indigence and poverty, stagflation and general insecurity. For educational institutions, other manifest corollaries of these policies include decay, in teaching, learning and research infrastructure, dysfunctional municipal systems and ruinous energy crisis characterized by inadequate supply of electricity coupled with the crippling effects of unsustainable high costs of electricity and of energy in general.

Furthermore, the constant threats, and the actual brazen acts of disconnection of the universities from the national grid by the DISCOs pose an existential peril that the universities live with on daily basis now. The last time, Your Excellency, the DISCO here, in a fit of corporate impunity, disconnected the ABU, the system was left brutally traumatized, injured and paralyzed. The losses were beyond recount. A young doctoral scholar in the sciences, for instance, lost over 1000 painstakingly but systematically sampled bovine cardiac tissue research specimens.

Advertisement

Many other scholars and students had thousands of carefully cultured microbial samples in their laboratories wiped out. More than a thousand households had their precious little foodstuff destroyed. The ABU campuses, during the over one month of imposed total darkness, became desolate; staff, students and families lived like hunter-gatherers, scavenging for firewood and water from bushes, dirty wells and streams under heightened susceptibility to waterborne epidemies.

It is beyond dispute that Nigerian universities are not, by any law, statute, or ethical or socio[1]economic definition, profit-making or revenue-generating outfits. They are, however, now rendered unviable and unable to fend for themselves the potential for imminent collapse from mere electricity bills – and this being only one of the many fundamental concerns. Ahmadu Bello University, for instance, with an average total annual budgetary overhead grant of N150 million only, now requires an astounding but unaffordable N3.6 billion (monthly average of N300 million) to settle its annual electricity bill, at the cost of N206/kWh per unit of the so[1]called band A. For a university that requires about 7megaWatts of electricity, in addition to providing other energy costs per month, the financial implication is far beyond its capacity.

Your Excellency, even if the market-oriented principle of ‘cost-sharing’ between government and parents/wards is a viable option, the inability of the University to mobilize adequate financial and material support entails that it transfers the huge cost to students by hiking up fees and charges. If the N3.6 billion were to be transferred to the University’s 50,000 students, the current municipal charges alone will have to be hiked up by at least a rate of 500%.

Not only is this sum impossible to pay by virtually all students but it also negates the position of your government on the matter. You would recall, Sir, that at its inception, your government expressly forbade the Senates and Councils of Federal universities to hike up registration fees for the poor, beleaguered Nigerian students and their parents. Some of us hailed your government then as having the courage to acknowledge the suffering of the Nigerian parents and their wards. In any event, student charges are specifically meant to offset the cost of services in the learning and living campus environment and cannot be used to cover for these energy costs which justly belong to overhead grants that government should but has not, ironically, been responsible for.

Advertisement

Your Excellency, the Nigerian society, its developmental agendas and such of their key enablers as education, industrialization and national integration are in deep crisis and the country has reached a decision point that require critical and somber rethinking by the people and the nation, with you, as the leader. It is imperative that we decide if we truly want to have national public universities and the quality of universities that we want. But the one decision we cannot make at this existential moment is one of logical impossibility and delusion; that is, of having universities but not having to adequately fund or support them to thrive.

We need not remind Your Excellency, however, that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, that you swore to uphold, had defined education, in unequivocal terms, as a public good, thus, prioritizing investment in public education is a cardinal constitutional objective.

In view of the foregoing, Your Excellency, we urge you, as the Visitor to all Federal Universities and the Head of State and Federal Government, to take an urgent and decisive action by making the Federal Government bear the cost of electricity supply as a form of overhead grant to all the Federal Universities in the country. Alternatively, Your Excellency, the Federal Government, as PART OWNER – with 49% stake in GENCOs and DISCOs and continually investing more in them – as well as being the guarantor of social balance and social security in the land, could direct the DISCOs to provide unrestricted supply of electricity to all Nigerian universities in return for some tax credits. On the other hand, Your Excellency, the government could also charge the DISCOs to create a new dedicated social tariff band with lower rates that universities can afford given their present funding realities.

We are convinced, Your Excellency, that your government could accomplish this with all the necessary exigency. This will not only not hurt any sector of the economy, society or national life but that it will constitute an important first step and a signal that your government can and will address the myriads of problems in our tertiary institutions.

Advertisement

With regards,

Cc:ABU, academic staff, Open letter, Bola Tinubu, Looming energy crisis’

The President, Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

The Speaker, House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

Advertisement

Chairmen, Senate & House Committees on Tertiary Institutions

The National Security Adviser

The Hon Minister, FMOE

His Eminence, the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Saad Abubakar III

Advertisement

His Highness, the Emir of Zazzau, Ambassador Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli

The President Inter-Religious Council of Nigeria

The Chancellor, ABU, Zaria

The Chairman & Members, ABU Governing Council

Advertisement

The Chairman, Committee of Pro Chancellors of Nigerian Universities

The Vice Chancellor, ABU, Zaria

The Chairman, Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities

The President, NLC

Advertisement

The President, TUC

The President, ASUU

The President, SSANU

The President, NAAT

Advertisement

The President, NASU

The President, NANS

This story’s headline has been updated to reflect that only professors are involved in the letter, not the academic staff

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

News

SEE 20 billionaires supporting Trump and Kamala in the race for The White House

Published

on

By Mario Deepromoter

The race for the United States Presidency has reached a fever pitch. As the US presidential election draws close, the financial backing of billionaires has become a defining factor in the campaigns of leading candidates.

Donald Trump, the Republican party candidate and Kamala Harris, who took the baton from President Biden for the Democratic party, continue to rally the support of some of America’s wealthiest, drawing powerful endorsements from influential figures in the country seeking to shape its future.

Elections are run with money, and political parties and their candidates require a lot of it to run successful campaigns. This process is supported by the high and mighty who donate good money towards the government they wish to see in power. These funds cover a range of expenses, including advertising, staffing, travel, and organising events.

Advertisement

From business partners to friends, acquaintances and wealthy individuals who want to see the tide turn in their favour, here are 20 billionaires supporting Trump and Kamala as the next US President.

Billionaires supporting Donald Trump
1. Elon Musk
Perhaps being Donald Trump’s biggest fan on X, which he now owns, the world’s richest man Elon Musk could also be Trump’s loudest supporter. In July, the founder worth, $250.8 billion announced plans to commit around $45 million a month to a new super political-action committee, called America PAC, backing former President Donald Trump’s presidential run.

2. Linda McMahon
Linda McMahon is the wife of Vince McMahon, the former CEO of WWE. McMahon, who is currently worth $3.1 billion had made up to $16 million in donations to Trump groups to support his election campaign. She chairs the pro-Trump nonprofit America First Policy Institute, serving on the board of Truth Social’s parent company, Trump Media and Technology Group.

3. Diane Hendricks
“I know how hard it is to build a company from nothing,” she said. “And we need a president who understands that too,” Diane Hendricks, called America’s richest self-made woman, said on stage at the Republican National Convention in her home state of Wisconsin last month. Forbes says that the $20.9 billion-worth entrepreneur has already pumped $6 million into groups that support him.

Advertisement

4. Andrew Beal
American banker and businessman, Andrew Beal gave more than $4 million to Trump committees and other GOP groups in 2020. The $12.2 billion- valued investor is now betting on Trump again, putting $1.8 million behind Trump’s 2024 ticket.

5. Kelcy Warren
Kelcy Warren, the billionaire in energy has been fond of Trump. Warren had given $100,000 to help elect him in 2016, then dropped more than $11 million in 2020. This time around, he has given about $6 million to support Trump’s campaign. Warren’s Energy Transfer is best known for the Dakota Access Pipeline, which Trump helped expedite in one of his first acts in office.

6. Elizabeth Uihlein & Richard Uihlein
Liz and Dick Uihlein are among the Republican party’s most generous donors, giving tens of millions per cycle. The couple have donated $5 million to trump groups according to Forbes. In 2021, the duo celebrated Trump’s “America First” trade policies and called out publicly-held companies for being “too concerned about their stock share price.”

7. Phil Ruffin
Ruffin is a significant Donald Trump donor, as well as his business partner and close friend. His donations to Trump’s PACs and committees have reached $3.3 million so far this cycle, surpassing his combined donations from the last two elections.

Advertisement

8. Geoffrey Palmer
Geoffrey Palmer is one of the largest apartment developers in Los Angeles, with nearly 13,000 units in the greater L.A. metro area. Palmer is a major financial backer of former president Donald Trump, donating some $16 million to his campaigns and PACs from 2016 to 2022. This year, he’s up to $3 million. The developer is worth $3.1 billion.

9. J.Joe.Ricketts
Ricketts, whose family owns the Chicago Cubs, poured $3 million into a Republican anti-Trump group back in 2016 with his wife. They have given a combined $2 million to Trump groups so far this time around, betting against Kamala.

10. Jimmy John Liautaud
Since Jimmy John sold the majority of his business to a private equity firm, he has gotten more involved in politics, as has his wife Leslie. She backed Trump in 2016 and 2020 and John joined her this year, giving $2.8 million to Trump groups so far.

Billionaires supporting Kamala Harris
1. Mark Cuban
The billionaire Shark Tank star and former principal owner of the Dallas Mavericks is one of the Democrats’ most valuable supporters. Valued at US$5.4 billion according to Forbes, Cuban, who is known to have attended a Joe Biden fundraiser, has retweeted various posts about Harris’ campaign, and signed the “VCs for Kamala” pledge.

Advertisement

2. Reid Hoffman
LinkedIn co-founder, Reid Hoffman has been a long-time Democratic donor and wasted no time backing Harris after Biden dropped. In January, he poured $2 million into a super political action committee (PAC) for Biden’s campaign. The former CEO, worth $2.5 billion plans to open a fundraiser for Harris and has been reported to push Netflix chairman Reed Hastings to donate US$7 million to a PAC supporting the current Vice President.

3. Vinod Khosla
Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures, and OpenAI investor has backed Harris to win the elections in November following the withdrawal of President Biden, who he hosted a fundraiser for in May. Worth $7.2 billion per Forbes, the entrepreneur has donated to Super PACs in support of Harris.

4. Chris Sacca
Chris Sacca made early bets investing in Twitter and Uber through his venture capital firm Lowercase Capital. Now he’s making bets of Kamala Harris to be the next US president after donating to Biden’s campaign before he dropped out. Sacca noted that he and his partner Clay Dumas have “invested millions of dollars and countless hours helping build organisations and companies that we think have the best shot at giving blue candidates an edge in a game that is rigged against them.”

5. Eric Schmidt
Worth $22.5 billion per Forbes, the former CEO of Alphabet has given $1.6 million to Future Forward PAC, a Democratic super PAC, and $1.16 million to the Biden Victory Fund.

Advertisement

6. Dustin Moskovitz
Moskovitz, who helped to launch Facebook (now Meta Platforms) in 2004, gave up to $929,600 to the Biden Victory Fund before he dropped out of the race. Now, he has directed his attention to Kamala who goes against the same opponent, Trump.

Continue Reading

News

IG Orders Redeployment Of FCT, Rivers, Delta CPs

Published

on

By Mario Deepromoter

The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has directed the redeployment of the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, Tunji Disu, to FCT command.

The shake-up also affects the Delta State Police Command, with CP Abaniwonda Olufemi being reassigned to the Rivers State Command.

In his place, CP Peter Opara who was recently posted to the FCT command, has been appointed as the new Commissioner of Police for Delta State.

Advertisement

The Force spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, in a statement on Thursday, said the redeployment was to ensure effective policing in the affected states.

He said, “The Inspector-General of Police in an effort to strategically emplace a Police Force well efficient for effective policing, has ordered the immediate redeployment of the Commissioners of Police of Rivers State Command, Delta State Command, and the Federal Capital territory.

“The order covers the redeployment of the CP Rivers State Command, CP Olatunji Disu as the new CP FCT; CP Delta State Command, CP Abaniwonda Olufemi as the new CP Rivers State Command and CP FCT, CP Peter Opara as the new CP Delta State.”

Adejobi also said the IG, in accordance with the approval of the Police Service Commission, has deployed four CPs to Lagos, Abia, Ebonyi, and Akwa-Ibom States.

Advertisement

He said, “In addition, following the approval of the Police Service Commission, the Inspector-General of Police has also deployed four CPs as Commissioners of Police for Abia, Lagos, Ebonyi, and Akwa-Ibom State Commands.

“The deployment includes the posting of CP Danladi Nda to Abia State Command, CP Olanrewaju Ishola Olawale to Lagos State Command, CP Anthonia Adaku Uche-Anya, FDC to Ebonyi State Command and CP Festus Eribo to Akwa-Ibom State Command.

“The posting of these strategic managers reflects the mission of the Inspector-General of Police to strategically reposition the Police Force and ensure maximum utilization of human resources available to the Force. “

He stated that the IG urged the CPs to be innovative and ensure personnel are diligent in their duties.

Advertisement

Adejobi said, “The IGP has, however, urged the new CPs of State Commands to ensure diligence in the discharge of their lawful duties and adopt innovations that could mitigate security challenges in their respective areas of responsibility. He further encouraged them to key into the police reform plans, which will help the progress of the Nigeria Police Force and the growth of the country in general.”

Continue Reading

News

Credible Intel Indicates Tinubu’s Defence Minister Matawalle Involved in Banditry – Zamfara Gov Alleges

Published

on

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has made a startling disclosure, alleging Nigeria’s Defence Minister, Bello Matawalle, of involvement in banditry in the North-West region.

Speaking during an interview on TVC’s Politics Tonight on Wednesday night, Lawal cited credible information suggesting that his predecessor, Matawalle, played a significant role in the ongoing security crisis.

From all the information we’re getting, my predecessor was fully involved in some of this banditry issue,” Lawal stated. His comments come as northern Nigeria continues to grapple with relentless bandit attacks, particularly in Zamfara, Kaduna, and Katsina states. This is not the first time such allegations have been raised against Matawalle. In July, notorious bandit leader Kachallah Bello Turji had made similar accusations, claiming that the former Zamfara governor had been supporting terrorism in the region. Turji, in a video statement, maintained that Matawalle was involved in the rising wave of violence, an allegation that stirred significant controversy. However, Matawalle has consistently denied these claims. His media consultant, Deyemi Saka, labelled the accusations as unfounded and baseless, dismissing them as attempts to tarnish the minister’s reputation. Despite this, Turji and now Governor Lawal remain firm in their assertions, keeping the spotlight on Matawalle’s alleged connection to the banditry crisis.

Advertisement

The accusation against a high-ranking government official comes at a time when northern Nigeria is plagued by severe security challenges, with banditry, kidnapping, and terrorism escalating in various states. The federal government’s response to these claims and the overall situation remains to be seen.

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2024 Naija Blitz News