The management of the University of Benin has halted academic activities indefinitely and ordered students to vacate their hostels immediately. This decision comes after students protested on Wednesday over the rationing of electricity and other grievances, blocking the Benin-Ore highway and causing gridlock and hardship for commuters.
According to the institution’s Public Relations officer, Benedicta Ehanire, the students’ demands, including a 24-hour supply of electricity, were deemed unrealistic by the university’s Senate. The Senate had met with the students in an attempt to resolve the issue, but the talks failed, leading to the shutdown of the university.
The students had refused to leave the highway until their demands were met, but the university’s decision has forced them to vacate the premises. Non-teaching staff and staff on essential duties are not affected by the shutdown.
The protest was sparked by the university’s rationing of electricity, which had been reduced to only one hour per day. The students claimed that this was affecting their ability to study and prepare for their exams. The university’s management had attributed the rationing to a dispute with the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) over a contentious electricity bill.
