News
52 federal varsities may collapse over hike in electricity tariff, VCs tell FG
The Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities has warned that about 52 Federal universities may collapse in the country soon over the recent hike in electricity tariff which has increased their overhead costs.
These VCs gave the warning after the tariff hike by the Discos increased the electricity bill of the federal universities by over 300 per cent.
Recall that the VCs had earlier last month asked the Federal Government to provide a concessionary electricity tariff rate for the universities.
They said the appeal was based on the need to alleviate the financial burden of high electricity tariffs on these institutions.
However, speaking with our correspondent on Friday, Secretary to the CVCNU, Prof. Yakubu Ochefu, said if the Federal Government did not prevail on the Discos to reduce the electricity tariff, 52 federal universities might collapse soon as high overhead cost will cripple their operations.
He said the Federal Government had already funded solar power plants for about 10 out of the 62 federal universities in the country, leaving the remaining 52 institutions to rely on the Discos for electricity supply as generating power independently has proven very costly for them.
“The Federal Government has funded solar power plants in some universities like the University of Agriculture in Makurdi. They don’t depend on the Discos as they generate their own power. But there are less than 10 federal universities that have such solar power plants out of about 62 federal universities, which means 52 others do not have.
“That is why we say in the interim, they should remove us from Band A and create a discretionary band for educational establishments so that we can be paying the rates we are paying before or something slightly higher. But to pay the commercial rates that everybody is paying is not sustainable. It will cripple the operations of the universities,” the VCs spokesman stated.
“Our bills have gone by 300 per cent, which translates into an increase in overhead costs for the University Vice Chancellors. For the Federal Universities, we have written to the President to let him know that with the hike, we cannot sustain the operations of the federal institutions and something must be done.
“So, it is either they (the government) move us from Band A to another band, which will give us reduced costs, support us in our effort to move to our alternate power sources or allow us to charge at economic rate so that we can pass the cost down to the end users which are the students. The Federal Government has to sit and consider any of the options for us. But they are yet to respond to us.”
On whether increasing the allocations to the university by the Federal Government will cover up for the electricity cost, Prof Ochefu said, “Even if they increase the allocation, it will not make a big impact.
“As you have read, the situation is already affecting the students. The UNIBEN closed down today because of the students’ protest over electricity. If nothing is done urgently, university operations will grind to a halt very soon.”
Reacting to the development, a don in the University of Ibadan, Prof Francis Egbokhare, said, “I quite understand what the VC committee is talking about because the universities are not allowed to exceed a certain level of charges for fees.
“If the universities are allowed to charge on the basis of consumption, every student and lecturer will be mandated to pay for electricity used. To avoid this, the government and the universities should enter into a workable agreement.”
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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