The Nigerian government has clarified that its planned electricity subsidy for tertiary educational institutions may only apply to 37 federal universities and seven teaching hospitals affiliated with some of them.
The government also said the private businesses inside the selected institutions will not benefit from the subsidy. The proposed subsidy is in response to the groans by universities and teaching hospitals that the amount they are being charged by electricity distribution companies is unsustainable.
The proposed 50 per cent subsidy was first mentioned by the Minister of State for Health, Tunji Alausa, who announced it on Thursday at the National Neo-Psychiatric Hospital in Barnawa, Kaduna State.
“In alignment with President @officialABAT, GCFR’s mission to provide comprehensive and effective healthcare to Nigerians, the Federal Government will be offering a 50% subsidy on energy costs for all federal facilities. We hope this subsidy will support our facilities in delivering round-the-clock healthcare and enhance their service delivery.”
However, he did not provide further details of the subsidy. Mr Alausa’s spokesperson, Mojiyin Adebajo, did not also respond to calls and a message sent to her to clarify the minister’s statement.
However, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Power, Bolaji Tunji, provided the details in response to PREMIUM TIMES’ enquiry.
“What the honourable minister of power said was there would be a subsidy and could be as much as that or lower,” Mr Tunji said. “So if the honourable minister of health said so, then further clarification must be sought.”
The power ministry spokesperson said the initiative will be part of the federal government’s Energizing Education Programme (EEP) and will only cover the essential services of the institutions.
“You know that within some of these institutions, there are some commercial entities and privately run businesses that are charging customers for services rendered, so the government would not extend the subsidy to these entities,” Mr Tunji said.
He said the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has requested accurate data from the institutions that would enjoy the subsidy.
Credit: premiumtimesng.com
