Kano varsity mulls strike over disconnection from national grid

The Kano State Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) has disconnected the Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, Wudil, from the national grid, throwing the institution into darkness.

Following the development, the university management has been making some decisions against the situation.

The management concerned over what it described as the insensitive actions of KEDCO despite the payment of N20 million out of N60 million monthly bill to disconnect the institution, said it was left with three options.

The options, according to the Dean of Students Affairs, Prof. Abdulkadir Dambazau, include either shutting down the university or asking students not to return to campus after the end of the first semester vacation, or the students should bear the brunt of staying without electricity.

“We are left with these options as the main thing we will do before we get intervention from so many sources we are looking for,” Dambazau said in Kano on Monday, July 1, 2024.

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He said before KEDCO disconnected the university, the institution had made several sacrifices of paying N20 million to them out of the increased bill which was from the monthly payment of N16-17 million to N50-60 million on the excuse that the institution is now on a Band A.

Dambazau explained that the disconnection of the power supply to the university has plunged it into serious water shortage because the institution relied heavily on power to supply water.

The Dean added: “Before they jack up the bill to N50-60 million monthly, we were scouting to pay every month N16-17 million and then we were getting power supply 24 hours, but suddenly they said we must pay N50-60 million monthly and they said we must also pay an accumulated bill of N248 million.

“Our monthly upkeep from the government was only N17 million but thanks to Governor Abba Yusuf who increased the money to N20 million monthly, and that N20 million we received was the same money we took everything and paid KEDCO but still they went ahead and disconnected us

“Now, we are struggling to provide water and have some solar system intervention, but that is because the 28,000 school population did not return completely to their hostels. If they return, what do we do? That is where the options of either sending them back to their houses, shutting down the university, or they bear the brunt came up.”

Dambazau, therefore, appealed to the government, philanthropists, and the general citizens to come to their aid and ensure that they did not shut down the university completely.

The Star