UNIBEN Suspends Academic Activities Indefinitely Following Student Protests Over Power Outages
1 min read
By Joy Richardson
The University of Benin (UNIBEN) has indefinitely suspended academic activities due to student protests over power outages. This decision was announced on Thursday by the institution’s Public Relations Officer, Benedicta Ehanire.
The protests, which took place on Wednesday, were sparked by the rationing of electricity and other issues. Students blocked the Benin-Ore highway,t causing significant traffic disruptions and inconvenience to commuters. Some students stated they would not leave the highway until their demands were addressed.
The university’s Senate convened on Wednesday to discuss the students’ grievances and attempt to find a resolution. The statement by Ehanire indicated that the university would shut down if discussions with the students were unsuccessful, citing the students’ demands for a continuous 24-hour power supply as unrealistic.
Ehanire’s statement said, “Following the refusal of students of the University of Benin to shift grounds on their demands for 24-hour supply of electricity and more, considered unrealistic by the university’s Senate, the university has shut down academic activities indefinitely.”
Students have been instructed to vacate the hostels immediately, while non-teaching staff and essential personnel are not affected by the closure. The power outage issue arose after the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) increased the electricity bill from about N80 million to between N200 and N280 million, leading the university to rely on generators and ration electricity.
