Shop Owners "Cheating": Why Shops Are Shut for Over a Week – Prof. Na’Allah

... we pay 10 million for electricity, N100 million for diesel

Quadri Yahya 

The management of University of Abuja has explained why ‘all’ shops on campus have closed down businesses for over a week.

ACW-UA Press reports that shops, including cybercafé and provision stores around the Convocation ground, as well as in department areas, have shut down since for two weeks.

The management in a memo to the students and staff explained that the shops were closed for “cheating” the university. 

The memo, signed by the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. AbdulRasheed Na’Allah was made available to ACW-UA Press on the previous Sunday. 

Prof. Na’Allah wrote: “I ordered the closure of all shops in the hostels and around the campus after finding out that for all these years of the University of Abuja shop owners have been cheating the University, that despite the ridiculously cheap rent, majority pay only N75, 000 per year per shop, no shop owner have ever paid for water and electricity in the University and have been using water and electricity free of charge on campus. 

“The University bears and pays so much cost for electricity, every month to the tune of tens of millions of naira to the electricity company and also just last month we paid about N100 million per month and a half for diesel, which they all used for free! 

“This is not acceptable at all and it is clear most of this payment we always make to the electricity company and for diesel were for what the shop owners and other businesses on campus consume free of charge. Imagine many of them even use heavy machines and make huge profits on the sweat of the University! Sometimes our students and staff go without electricity and we have had to embark on serious rationing even during the end of semester examinations!”

The VC, however, urged the students and staff to remain “calm and understanding… during this very difficult time while we resolve this situation”.

ACW-UA Press observed that students have been bearing the brunt of the shops closed down as they largely patronised the shops for registration and buying of snacks and drinks. 

It was further gathered that the students have turned to the distant but popular Adelabu Market as an alternative.  

Furthermore, the VC stated that “I know that many students and staff want to get closer and easier places to shop and get groceries and food, yet it is for the good of the University and it's future that we correct the wrong that has been done the University of Abuja for years by these people, no matter who they are or under whoever the persons they work for. 

“I hereby encourage all students to please exercise patience as no amount of pressure and blackmail will lead to resumption of the past ways of cheating of the great UofA, and our goal now is to charge the right bills of every shop for the use of water and electricity on campus and also to advertise the shops to the entire general public at the right and appropriate rent. 

“We need more facilities on our dear campus to take care of the welfare of staff and students and it is not acceptable for some people to grow fat through cheating and excessive exploitation of the University of Abuja's goodwill!

“Yet, my dear staff and students, we will make all efforts to reopen the shops for your use once the right things have been done such as fixing of electricity and water meters and payment of past backlog for those we have assessed and re-advertisement of shops to the general public. I assure you that after this difficult period will come ease and joy and a greater and fairer Campus for us all!”