Adamawa poly rector assures lasting solutions to power water challenges
The Rector of Adamawa State Polytechnic, Yola, Dr. Muhammad Toungos, has assured students and staff that lasting measures have been put in place to resolve the lingering problems of electricity and water supply on campus.
Speaking in a phone interview with our correspondent on Monday, Dr. Toungos addressed the recent students’ protest that erupted over the ongoing scarcity of water and electricity, emphasizing that the institution’s management has already activated modalities to comprehensively tackle the issues.
He explained that during a meeting with the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), he was informed that the students had begun protest, an action he described as unwanted given the extensive efforts already underway to address their grievances.
“To prevent the situation from escalating and possibly being hijacked by hoodlums, as had happened during previous administrations, the school management decided to temporarily close the institution for one week,” Dr. Toungos.
He stressed that the decision was made in the best interest of both students and staff, to maintain peace and safeguard lives and property.
“When the problems of power and water emerged, the management took immediate steps. We repaired our two Leicester generators, which in the interim were used to pump water for the students both in the morning and evening. In addition to that, I personally wrote a memo to His Excellency, the Governor, seeking financial support for the payment of our electricity bills,” he said.
He revealed that one of the institution’s main challenges was the high cost of electricity, as the polytechnic was categorized under Band A, leading to monthly bills ranging between N10 million and N11 million—an amount the institution could not sustain on its own.
“In light of these financial constraints, we also installed solar panels at the main campus to provide lighting at night. We pleaded with the students to exercise patience and allow us two weeks to fully resolve the matter. However, despite our assurances, they opted to embark on a protest,” he said.
Dr. Toungos maintained that the management’s prompt decision to shut down the institution was a precautionary measure based on past experiences where similar protests during the tenure of previous rectors led to the destruction of school properties. He commended the students for ultimately conducting themselves responsibly, noting that no property was vandalized and no one was injured during the protest.
The rector further reassured all stakeholders that the situation is firmly under control. He disclosed that, following the governor’s directives, he and other senior officials had a productive meeting earlier that morning with the SSG and the Commissioner for Finance.
According to him, one of the major outcomes of the meeting is the state government’s agreement to take over the responsibility of settling the polytechnic’s electricity bills, as is already the case with some parastatals in the state. He described the intervention as timely and a major relief for the institution.
“The registrar has already issued a circular announcing the temporary closure of the polytechnic,” he said. “We believe that with the government’s intervention, the major hurdles that led to this situation are being resolved and, very soon, our students and staff will enjoy uninterrupted water and electricity supply.”
