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UNILAG Begins Three-Hour-Daily Rationing Of Electricity To Medical Students

December 3, 2018

According to a memo to that effect, the students will get one hour of electricity in the morning, and two hours at night.

The electricity supply at the College of Medicine and Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lagos, has taken a major hit as the school management has disclosed that electricity supply will be rationed.

According to a memo to that effect, the students will get one hour of electricity in the morning, and two hours at night.

This is coming a year after some engineering students of the school launched a project to generate electricity outside the national grid for rural communities.

The memo, signed by the Principal Assistant Secretary (Students) of the College of Medicine, A.O. Adeyemo, dated November 30, 2018, reads: “This is to inform all the students of the College of Medicine and the Faculty of Pharmacy that with effect from 1st December, 2018, power supply in the hostel will until further notice be rationed as follows: Morning: 7am to 8am - 1hr; Evening: 7pm to 10pm - 2hrs".

SaharaReporters gathered that a slight disagreement occurred between the Vice Chancellor and the Provost of the medical college.

The Provost was said to have initially proposed an increase in hostel accommodation fee, which was rejected by the VC in a meeting held late November.

“There were reports earlier that the provost was trying to increase the hostel accommodation fee, but the provost met with the VC and he (the Vice chancellor) refused to approve the hike in accommodation fee," a source said.

"For like a week, everything was on hold until the 30th of November when students received this memo showing the time the students should expect power supply, which depicts a mere three-hour supply. The students protested last night."

A student of Unilag's College of Medicine and Faculty of Pharmacy, who spoke with our correspondent, said the students will ensure the reversal of the rationed electricity supply.

“There was a little protest yesterday to show our rejection of the new power supply ration," he said. "The protest was also to show our dissatisfaction with the unconducive learning environment.”

Academic activities are currently on hold due to the ongoing Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike that commenced on November 4, 2018.

The UNILAG chapter of the union confirmed its compliance with the strike action on November 7.

“We have achieved 100 per cent compliance with the directive handed to us by the union’s executives,” Dele Ashiru, chairman, ASUU UNILAG chapter, had said.