Nigerian universities are grappling with severe financial strain as electricity bills soar, with some institutions paying between N200 million to N300 million monthly, according to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke.
Speaking on Thursday at the opening of a two-day national conference in Abuja, Osodeke highlighted the growing financial burden on universities.
Osodeke expressed concern that the federal government allocates only N15 million per month to universities for all their running costs, which include electricity. This amount, he noted, falls significantly short of the institutions’ actual needs.
“What the government gives you to run the system is N15 million, and you get a bill for electricity alone of N300 million,” he said, pointing out the wide gap in financial provisions.
The ASUU President also criticised the government’s spending priorities. “A government that will give just N15 million for UNILAG to run, will in turn, give one Senator N21 million a month,” Osodeke remarked, expressing his frustration with the disparity.
He underscored the irony that while institutions struggle to stay afloat, individual Senators receive more funds than entire universities.
“The government gives a system N15 million, but an individual gets N21 million. That’s where our priority is,” he lamented, calling for immediate reforms.
Osodeke warned that the financial strain on universities, exacerbated by high electricity costs and insufficient government funding, could soon collapse many institutions if the situation is not addressed urgently.
