₦airaland Forum

The Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, NIMR, is on the brink of a power shutdown as Eko Electricity Distribution Company, EKEDC, issued a final disconnection notice over an accumulated electricity bill of over N89 million.

Meanwhile, the Director-General of NIMR, Professor John Obafunwa, has raised an alarm, describing the recurring electricity crisis as a direct threat to Nigeria’s public health research efforts.

Obafunwa also accused EKEDC of frustrating the institute’s operations through “outrageous estimated billing” and refusal to install a dedicated electricity meter on the premises.

Addressing journalists on Friday during the NIMR monthly briefing, he described EKEDC action as a deliberate attempt to frustrate the operations of the institute.


“For most of us, we’ve been here a couple of times, and we’re probably getting more and more familiar with what’s going on in NIMR and the relevance of NIMR to our nation.

“But I still consider this a deliberate attempt to frustrate the work we are doing here.”

Obafunwa disclosed that monthly electricity bills from EKEDC have ranged between N44 million and N52 million — despite what he described as “under 10 hours” of actual daily electricity supply.

“We are not a commercial enterprise. We’re not a university collecting school fees. We don’t have the capacity to generate income like tertiary hospitals. We’re a research institute, yet, being billed as if we’re running a manufacturing plant.”

The DG said despite repeated letters, visits, and even direct appeals to the company’s management, NIMR was denied a functioning electricity meter for years, leaving the Institute at the mercy of estimated billing. “You can’t put a meter in your backyard and be giving us figures,” he said, referring to EKEDC’s claim that NIMR’s meter is located at its Jibowu office.


Obafunwa who lamented that most of the research done by NIMR is donor- driven said the Institue houses highly sensitive biological samples, temperature-dependent reagents, and state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment — donated by foreign partners.

“Each time we shut down power, those samples are at risk. These are not things you can replace easily. We’ve had to shut down electricity in the residential quarters. Power is cut at 9 a.m. and not restored until 4 p.m. We cannot continue like this.”

He observed that in what appears to be retaliation for NIMR’s recent decision to install its monitoring meters, the April bill from EKEDC surged to N52 million.

“Once they realised we were putting in our metering system, the bill shot up, and now, they’ve issued a final disconnection notice.”

The DG said all attempts to get EKEDC to review its position and desist from sending outrageous bills have not yielded result, and out of the N89m debt, N52m was for March alone.

He said the instalmental payment of N6.7m was in respect of debt inherited while the second installment of the debt that was paid to EKEDC was never reflected in their bills to NIMR, even when they had privately acknowledged receipt of the money that was paid to them through the Central Bank.

“NIMR had written last week to EKEDC to let us discuss the bill and reconcile these outrageous bills but the latter refused. NIMR had already today paid over N34m to EKEDC, again asking that we discuss which they never responded to. To my consternation EKEDC responded with a disconnection threat.”

However, in an official memo from EKEDC dated April 24, 2025, and made available to Vanguard, the final notice demanded a payment of N62.4 million by April 28 to avoid disconnection.

“Even when we tried to engage and committed to installment payments, they’ve acted with impunity,” Obafunwa alleged.

He lamented that the institute’s electricity budget for 2024 was N20 million – barely enough to cover a month’s bill. Though it was raised to N145 million in the 2025 budget, he emphasised that the shortfall has already caused significant setbacks, including the withdrawal of some foreign donors.

“We are contributing to national health security. Yet, some people somewhere just feel they should feed fat on NIMR,” he emphasised.

He added that a petition has been filed with the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), and efforts are ongoing to migrate NIMR to an alternative power source. “If we can go off the national grid, we will,” he said.

Obafunwa called on the media and the public to demand transparency and accountability from EKEDC.

“Ask them: Why does NIMR not have a dedicated meter on its premises? Why are we being billed blindly?”

Meanwhile, the disconnection notice from Eko Electricity Distribution Plc with Reference number: 236/2305/DM/IJ/2404/2025 A/C: 02/35/90/0959-01 and signed by the Business Manager, Ijora District Sanyash Clement, reads in part,

“The above subject refers.

This is a follow-up on our earlier calls to your representative about the expiration of the payment due date which elapsed since the 15th of this month. Sir, be equally informed that your Total bill is N89,351,449.38, out of which “N56.447,261 is your current charge. The least we are expecting from your organization is the current charge plus your established payment plan amount(N56,447,261=N6,000.000-N62.447,261).

“This memo serves as a Final Disconnection Notice. Please note that failure to make the payment on or before the 28th of April 2025, will result in the withdrawal of our services.

“While we look forward to receiving the payment as stated, please accept the warmest assurances and esteemed regards of the Management.”

Source: https://vanguardngr.com/Medical-research-threatened-at-NIMR-as-EKEDC-issues-N89m-disconnection-notice

Werey Pipu, which research dem do over the decades of collecting government money?

When they were privatizing NEPA, everyone thought it was for the better, not knowing it was business as usuàl. Government continued to back all sorts of irregularities,estimated billings, no metres,e.t.c. Now it's government agencies and Aso Rock villa that knows better.

Those electricity distribution companies are thieves with their estimated billing.

Estimated billing is a ripoff done by electricity companies to survive

Because of massive price controls and large numbers of people not paying and bypassing meters, they essentially rip off some consumers to survive, otherwise their losses which are already considerable would be even worse.

The problem, which is partly due to poor metering , has a lot to do with the fact that only 20% of consumers pay market price for power.

The way forward is to meter everyone and to allow the discos and gencos set their prices for power.

It's a business now, and businesses survive by making a profit..

And the only way to make a profit is by allowing power companies to sell power above 200 naira per unit, which would enable them make profits to actually fix things and which would enable them to buy poles and wires and transformers instead of you the consumer doing so.




Anyone can abuse me, but what I have stated is fact. And I don't support the apc or tinubu or obi or atiku. They are all the same. And I am.suporoting your right to set your prices.

Another avenue to loot. Make Una continue, one day go be one day.

This is too much!

How can the management wait for the bill to be this much?

Let them disconnect the place. I wonder the kind data wey dem dey produce for there.
Most Nigerian medical researchers use data provided by who mostly

Most of the power supplied, na air conditioner and television go chop am

F

simpleseyi:
Werey Pipu, which research dem do over the decades of collecting government money?

If you don’t have anything meaningful to contribute must you comment

First they came for UCH, and I did not speak out—because I was not their patient or worker.
Then they came for the army, and I did not speak out—because I was not a soldier.
Then they came for the Deputy governor (Hamzat), and I did not speak out—because I was not a thoughtful citizen.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

The surgeons stitched by candlelight,
Death tapped gently at oxygen-starved doors.
A thousand ghosts queued in hospital wards,
While Mammon’s priests danced on copper wires.

When IBEDC disconnected electricity from UCH amid a dispute over excessive billing. Patients died. The cost of healthcare surged. Healthcare workers, demoralized by the chaos, resigned. Yet public outrage was not directed at the power company. It was directed at the hospital. The public did not realize that the hospital could pass on those costs to them. The students did not realize this. If not today, then someday their relative or they themselves would be unable to afford care.

The soldiers, mothers of soldiers,
Groped through rationed night,
Their medals mere ornaments for empty bellies,
Their loyalty repaid in darkness.

When the EKDC cut power to Nigerian military quarters over another billing dispute, the soldiers (men who had served their country) were left in darkness. The army had already rationed electricity; families of service members were denied power during daylight hours. Still, many sided with the utility company, forgetting that it is ultimately their tax money that will be used to pay off the power provider.

The people, their tongues, blades against the wrong foe,
How quick they drew blood from the pleading hand!
-/

The deputy government, stripped by his own kin,
Fell, not by the tyrant’s whip,
but
By the cheers of the marketplace.

Then deputy governor, Hamzat raised concerns about inflated electricity bills at his residence in Lagos. Rather than support him, the public attacked him. They failed to understand that his protest, as a public official whose bills are paid by the state, was also a protest on behalf of taxpayers. Elsewhere, deputy governors remain silent, indifferent as long as taxpayer money absorbs any cost. No accountability is demanded when public funds are treated as a blank check.

What songs do fools sing,
When the piper charges them twice over?
What wars do they wage,
When their swords point at their own throats?

//

In the vault of science,
The healers of plagues starve for fire,
Yet the mob scorns their cries,
Crowing for the profit of their jailers.

The same EKDC is in conflict with a medical research institute. Again, you check this forum , and the focus is not on the legitimacy of the institute’s protest. Some people ask “what is their output? as if the merit of the institute work should disqualify it from basic services. Some suggest the institute should install a solar grid. But a move to self-generation if done by all simply shifts the burden back onto the public that cannot afford self generation. The electricity company must sustain their profits, and if large institutions exit the grid, the costs will be redistributed to ordinary citizens who have no choice but to remain.

Solar altars will rise, yes
But even suns, if bought with silence,
Cast no light on a sleeping mind.

//

O Giant Nation of the Self-Betrayed,
Your chains are not forged by your masters,
But hammered, link by link,
By your own hands.

There are communities in which the private individuals electricity is billed so much they exceed some people’s life earnings.

Again, surrender, but don’t attack those trying to ask questions.

Ire o.

Curruption has made matured and learned people to reasoning like illiterate retards. I know, they how, to source funds for a solar mini grid, but, curruption will not allow it.

.

Show me one ground breaking research wey dem don do since their establishment? That’s not to say they should be disconnected, people need to earn their salaries. That’s what a majority of these MDA’s exist for - to pay salaries

Dhoneymix:
Those electricity distribution companies are thieves with their estimated billing.

People may soon prefer personal power supply with Generators erc

In the year of the reign of EDC, once again another casualty, lols

“Medical research” 😂

Let them go and pay what they are owing, instead of this cheap blackmail

Give them prepaid meter, then you deduct fraction of the N89m after every recharge till the money is recovered.

Make una apply for prepaid na

Which yeye research dey threatened?
People dey use light take AC, charge phone and laptop for office. You say research threatened.
Yet the main People wey need the light to work, no dey see am.. warn yourself o

Government owning government money..eno concern us

Follow Aso rock's example, go solar.
Really Aso rock going solar cast serious doubts about the discos credibility and future.

A private entity shouldn't rely on govt subvention to survive especially given the monthly extortion monies they get from the hostage they call customers.

How many medical research are they doing?

Report them to the Air Force, let the Air Force issue EKEDC a warning. They will get the memo immediately.

But FIIRO has been disconnected for several months now and nobody heard about it.

We keep deceiving ourselves. There is nothing like research in Nigeria. We need to start doing better. From the government to the individuals...everyone has a role to play

nairalanda1:
Estimated billing is a ripoff done by electricity companies to survive

Because of massive price controls and large numbers of people not paying and bypassing meters, they essentially rip off some consumers to survive, otherwise their losses which are already considerable would be even worse.

The problem, which is partly due to poor metering , has a lot to do with the fact that only 20% of consumers pay market price for power.

The way forward is to meter everyone and to allow the discos and gencos set their prices for power.

It's a business now, and businesses survive by making a profit..

And the only way to make a profit is by allowing power companies to sell power above 200 naira per unit, which would enable them make profits to actually fix things and which would enable them to buy poles and wires and transformers instead of you the consumer doing so.




Anyone can abuse me, but what I have stated is fact. And I don't support the apc or tinubu or obi or atiku. They are all the same. And I am.suporoting your right to set your prices.

Here we are paying above 200 but we were left with 4hrs supply daily can you imagine

nwirinedu:
Follow Aso rock's example, go solar.
Really Aso rock going solar cast serious doubts about the discos credibility and future.

A private entity shouldn't rely on govt subvention to survive especially given the monthly extortion monies they get from the hostage they call customers.

NIMR is private? I didn't know o. By the way, it's unlikely that solar power can power the calibre of equipment they have there.

shox:
Let them disconnect the place. I wonder the kind data wey dem dey produce for there.
Most Nigerian medical researchers use data provided by who mostly

Most of the power supplied, na air conditioner and television go chop am

Research is not taken seriously in Nigeria

simpleseyi:
Werey Pipu, which research dem do over the decades of collecting government money?

Have you ever visited their website? Or their research laboratories to see what's going on there? Did you hear of their activities during the pandemics e.g COVID, SARS etc? Or you want them to come and brief you on nairaland?
This is one of the many reasons we need a dislike or even a headbutt button on this forum.

simpleseyi:
Werey Pipu, which research dem do over the decades of collecting government money?

Thank you my brother! Ole ji ole gba!

They put on ac for 24hours, collect huge money from govt to service balablublu and we can't point to any damn thing they do, how much have they paid as electricity tariffs!

Ekedc is a rogue company but nimr is too