The University of Lagos (UNILAG) has been left without electricity after Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC) disconnected the institution’s power supply over a significant unpaid debt. The disconnection, which took place on August 27, has caused widespread disruption across the campus, leaving students and staff in darkness and sparking concerns about the university’s financial challenges.
According to a statement released by UNILAG management on Wednesday, the institution has been struggling with the increasing cost of electricity. The situation became worse when EKEDC upgraded the university’s tariff from “Band B” to “Band A,” causing a substantial increase in monthly electricity bills.
Before this upgrade, UNILAG was paying between N150 million and N180 million each month. However, under the new tariff, the June bill nearly doubled to almost N300 million, a surge that the university is finding difficult to manage.
Despite making a payment of N180 million on August 20, the university claims that EKEDC disconnected its power without any prior warning.
UNILAG management further revealed, “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!”
The university has assured the campus community that negotiations with EKEDC are ongoing to resolve the issue. In the meantime, it announced that power supply across the campus would be rationed until further notice, urging students and staff to remain calm during this period of uncertainty.
