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UNIBEN Students Protest Power Outage, Block Lagos-Benin Highway
- Students blocked the outbound route of the Lagos-Benin Expressway, causing gridlock and stranding commuters.
- The university has been unable to reach an agreement with BEDC over a contentious electricity billing, leading to a blackout on the campus.
- The students are demanding 24-hour electricity supply and a reduction in the cost of transportation and food within the campuses.
- The university management has described the demands as “unrealistic” and “out of the university’s control.
- The Senate of the University has resolved to shut down the institution if dialogue with the students fails and the protest persists.
Benin City, Nigeria – Students of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) took to the streets on Wednesday to protest the ongoing power outage in the university’s campus, blocking the busy Lagos-Benin Expressway.
The students, who have been experiencing power outage for over three weeks, are demanding the university management to resolve the issue, which has made their daily lives unbearable. The outage was caused by a disputed electricity bill between the university and the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC).
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What Students Said:
“We only have one hour of electricity every day since this issue started. We are tired of studying in the dark. We need electricity to read and prepare for our exams. The university management needs to take responsibility and fix this issue,” said John Afolabi, one of the protesting students.
“We will not leave until something is done. We can’t afford to fail our exams because of the university’s negligence,” said Sarah Osaigbovo, a 300-level student of the Ugbowo campus.
University Response:
The Public Relations Officer of the institution, Dr. Benedicta Ehanire, confirmed that a meeting of the Senate was ongoing to address the issue. She described the students’ action as unfortunate and expressed concern over the trend of blocking federal highways, causing hardship to travelers and other commuters.
Other Reactions:
An angry commuter, who refused to disclose his name, said, “I’m supposed to be at work right now, but I’ve been stuck here for hours. I understand the students’ plight, but they need to find a better way to protest.”
Latest Development:
The protest caused a significant disruption to the free flow of vehicular movement, with many passengers stranded and unable to reach their destinations. Despite the rainfall, the students were determined to continue the protest until their demands were met. Military personnel were seen approaching the scene to maintain normalcy.
