Aliko Dangote University in darkness as KEDCO disconnects power over N248m bill

The Aliko Dangote University of Science and Technology, Wudil, Kano State, has been thrown into darkness, following the disconnection of the institution’s power supply by the Kano Electricity Distribution Company.

KEDCO disconnected the university about a week ago over its inability to settle its outstanding accumulated bill of over N248 million, a situation that has currently paralysed the institution’s academic programmes.

Narrating the higher institution’s ordeal to newsmen on Monday, the Dean of Students’ Affairs of the university, Prof. Abdulkadir Dambazau, said efforts to convince KEDCO to reconnect the institution back to the national grid fell on deaf ears, as the company insisted on the settlement of the entire bill.

Such efforts, Dambazau said, included the payment of N20 million, which, according to him, was the university’s enhanced monthly subvention from the state government.

With its population of 28,000 people, he said the university is grappling with numerous difficulties in running its services, including academics and water supply.

“Electricity is critical to the operations of the institution in view of its nature as a University of Science and Technology,” Dambazau said.

The dean said the situation might degenerate when students of the university fully return from their end-of-semester break.

He also disclosed that the university embarked on a local load shedding in order to reduce the electricity consumption level, noting that the monthly bill slightly dropped to a little over N50 million.

He said the situation compelled the university to write to the state government to intervene and bail it out of the predicament, adding that the request is under government’s consideration.

Dambazau noted that there are three options now left for the university in the circumstances – the state government to bail it out of the situation, students to bear the burden or the management to shut down the institution.