The House of Representatives has pledged to advocate for the removal of Federal Universities from the Band A electricity tariff plan to alleviate their substantial electricity costs.
Rep. Abubakar Fulata, Chairman of the House Committee on University Education, made this announcement in Abuja on Friday following the committee’s oversight visit to Federal Universities in the Northeast.
Among the universities visited were Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) in Bauchi and Federal University Kashere in Gombe State.
Fulata highlighted ongoing efforts to exclude universities and other tertiary institutions from the Band A category of electricity users, emphasizing the committee’s commitment to eliminating obstacles to the effective operation of these institutions.
He expressed confidence that the government would heed their request and remove universities from the Band A tariff plan, similar to the action taken with IPPIS.
The committee noted that many universities are struggling to pay their electricity bills due to recent tariff increases.
Fulata also urged the management of the two universities to adhere to relevant laws, especially the Appropriation Act.
Rep. Victor Ogene, a committee member, pointed out discrepancies in ATBU’s financial records for 2021-2023, questioning the appropriateness of the university spending over N5 million on maintaining a guest house that only generated less than N800,000 in revenue.
Rep. Adamu Gamawa, another committee member, criticized extra-budgetary spending as unconstitutional, noting that expenditures should not exceed budgeted amounts, with supplementary budgets available for such cases.
Prof. Sani Kunya, Vice-Chancellor of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, praised the committee and requested their support in addressing the institution’s challenges.
Similarly, Prof. Usman Pate, Vice-Chancellor of Federal University Kashere, expressed appreciation for the lawmakers’ visit and highlighted infrastructure issues and security concerns that have led to a reluctance among lecturers to work at the university.
