Unpaid electricity debt throws ABU into four weeks darkness

The Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, has been thrown into four weeks blackout over its failure to pay the debts it owed the power distribution company, Kaduna Electric, responsible for supplying power in the school.

It was gathered that the power outage in the school might have led to the postponement of the resumption date which was initially slated for May 29, 2023.

A 400-level student of Engineering, Abu Musa, said this was not the first time the school would experience a blackout.

He said, “The blackout has really shut some students out. There are some laboratories that require power supply for them to be running, without the power, they won’t be able to use some of them. The blackout was responsible for the postponement of academic resumption.

“This is not the first time the blackout will be happening in the school. It happened some weeks after the elections but some intervention by the school and other alumni led to the restoration of power a week after.

“However, four weeks ago, the power supply was disconnected and is yet to be restored. The two weeks they said the school will resume will elapse tomorrow (today) with no solution in sight. Some of the students who wanted to stay around left because of the power outage.”

A shop owner, Afeez Opeyemi, while lamenting over the lack of power in the school, appealed for an urgent solution, adding that many businesses had ceased to operate in the school.

Reacting to the development, the school management, in a bulletin dated May 26, 2023, titled, “Power Outage: A Call for Understanding,” appealed for understanding over the blackout.

“The University management wishes to call on members of the University community for understanding over the current power outage being experienced all over the university, as it is doing everything possible to resolve the problem,” the bulletin partly read.

Contacted, the Head of Corporate Communications, Kaduna Electric, Abdullah Abdulaziz, in a text message sent to our correspondent on Monday, said power would be restored when the school management settled its debt.

“The school’s power supply will be restored when they settle their debts. Or did they tell you they had paid and were not reconnected,” he said.




FI