UNIBEN shut over students’ protest

The management of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) in Edo State has shut down academic activities in the institution indefinitely.

The UNIBEN spokesperson, Dr Benedicta Ehanire, announced this in a statement on Thursday, July 4, 2024.

Ehanire attributed the closure of the university to the refusal of the students to shift grounds on their demands.

The students had, on Wednesday, July 3, blocked the ever-busy Benin-Ore expressway to protest weeks of power outage on campus.

The students, who had two weeks until their first semester examination, said the situation was severely affecting their preparation.

The students also called for a downward review of transport fares by the UNIBEN shuttle service, which was increased with effect from July 1.

UNIBEN students block Benin-Ore expressway over power outage

The university was thrown into a blackout by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) following the inability to reach an agreement over contentious electricity billings.

The monthly bill was said to have jumped from about N80 million to between N200 and N280 million, forcing the university to resort to power generators as well as rationalisation of power on the two campuses and hostels.

The protesting students, amidst heavy rainfall on Wednesday, were hell-bent on continuing the rampage unless their demands were met.

However, Ehanire described the students’ demand for a 24-hour supply of electricity as unrealistic.

He noted: “Following the insistence of students of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) to shift grounds on their demands for twenty-four hours supply of electricity and more, considered unrealistic by the University’s Senate, the university has shut down academic activities indefinitely.

“Students are to vacate the hostels immediately while all the relevant units of the university are to take note and comply.

“However, non-teaching staff and staff on essential duties are not affected by the closure.”

The Star