The House of Representatives has moved to remove federal universities and other tertiary institutions from the Band A group of electricity users, citing difficulties in paying electricity bills due to the recent tariff hike.
Rep. Abubakar Fulata, Chairman of the House Committee on University Education, stated, “We are determined to remove obstacles to the smooth running of the schools.”
The committee’s oversight visit to Northeast federal universities revealed concerns over the electricity tariff’s impact on university operations.
Fulata expressed optimism that the government would listen to their request, as they did with the IPPIS issue. He also urged university management to comply with relevant laws, particularly the Appropriation Act.
Rep. Victor Ogene questioned the management of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University about discrepancies in income and expenditure between 2021 and 2023.
He asked, “Will it be appropriate to get less than N800,000 from the school guest house and spend over N5 million to maintain it?” Rep. Adamu Gamawa emphasized that extra-budgetary spending is unconstitutional, saying, “You cannot budget N10 million and spend N15 million.”
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The Vice-Chancellors of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University and Federal University Kashare commended the committee’s visit and sought support to address challenges facing their institutions.
Prof. Usman Pate, Vice-Chancellor of Federal University Kashare, highlighted security challenges affecting lecturer recruitment.
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