The students of the University of Jos (Unijos), on Thursday morning, barricaded the entrance of the headquarters of the Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDCO) in protest against the disconnection of electricity to the institution.
Daily Trust reports that the students stormed the premises in their large numbers to register their anger over the development, saying the situation had put them in distress, especially now that they were writing their second semester examinations.
The students asked the company to restore power to enable them to read for the exams.
Reacting to the action of the students, the Head of Corporate Communications of JEDCO, Dr Friday Adakole Elijah, explained why the company disconnected the electricity to the university.
He said, “Yes, it is a truism that the company disconnected the university for refusing to pay for their consumed energy. In April, 2024, the university owed JEDCO cumulative debts of over N126m.
“Several disconnection notices were issued to the institution to persuade them to pay, in addition to several face-to-face discussions, but the management of the university refused to pay. In the face of the university’s deliberate and blatant refusal to pay, the only option left at the disposal of the company was to disconnect.
“This has become imperative because the company also pays for energy that is supplied on behalf of its numerous customers. JEDCO as a responsible juristic personality is not unmindful of the interest of our students who are our future leaders, but the management of the university must help to defrost their debts to enable the company to remain in business.
“The university must commence a tangible process of offloading the debts or else the institution will be disconnected again. The company is not Father Christmas. We urge the students of the ivory tower to channel their grievances to the management of Unijos for a quick resolution.”
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