The University of Lagos located in Akoka has been shut out of power due to unpaid electricity bills, according to the Eko Electricity Distribution Company.
The university administration announced this in a statement on Wednesday noting that growing electricity prices have been a problem for the University.
The university’s tariff category was upgraded from “Band B” to “Band A” by EKEDC, and this has increased the monthly electricity expenditures and made the problem even worse.
Prior to the improvement, UNILAG was reportedly making monthly payments of between N150 million and N180 million.
However, the June bill under the new “Band A” tariff nearly doubled, reaching approximately N300 million—a 100% increase that the university is straining to manage.
The administration of the university expressed apologies for the campus blackout that began on Tuesday.
The administration clarified that the university was unexpectedly cut off from the power supply on August 27 without any prior notice, even in spite of continuing talks with EKEDC and a recent payment of N180 million on August 20.
“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 community was reassured by the management that attempts were being made to find a solution with EKEDC.
