‘We Spend N75m On Diesel, Electricity Bill Monthly’- Bayero University Defends School Fees Hike

The Vice Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano, Professor Sagir Adamu-Abbas, has revealed the reason why the university was forced to increase the school fees paid by students.

The VC said it was due to the enormous cost of running the university. For example, he said the institution has a monthly electricity bill of N35 million.

He added that the school has also introduced different measures to reduce the effect of the fuel subsidy removal on its members of staff as well as the impact of the increase in registration fees for its students.

“The cost of running the institution was enormous,” he said. He explained further by using the high cost of providing of electricity as an example, which he estimated was about N75 million monthly.

“The bill for electricity is about N35 million monthly while the bill for the purchase of diesel for generators is about 40 million

“The management was forced to increase the registration because it was practically impossible to provide social services to a student population of around 45,000, including a postgraduate and staff population of over 5,000, teaching and non-teaching.

“The increment was done in full consultation with staff unions including members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities among others and students. The university also introduced welfare packages for their staff such as non-interest loans from microfinance banks payable within six months.

“Other incentives introduced to cushion the effect of the increase in fuel price that has caused the high price of commodities, were the provision of foodstuffs, shuttle buses, bicycle loans for junior staff payable within nine months at a cheaper rate,” he said.

He added that the university also introduced a job scheme for students, where they could earn N15,000 monthly by rendering some services to the university.

“This does not affect their normal learning because it does not take much of their time as some were to clean some surroundings or render certain services within the university and get paid at the end of the month,” he said.

According to him, the scheme received positive feedback as over 2,000 students applied when it was introduced. About 120 of them got job offers, but the VC said that the number would be increased to 150 during the new recruitment that would be done immediately after the students resume on campus.