Students from the University of Benin (UNIBEN) took to the streets to block the busy Benin-Ore highway in protest of a prolonged power outage on their campus on Wednesday.
The students, facing imminent first semester exams, voiced concerns that the lack of electricity was hindering their exam preparations.
The power outage stemmed from a dispute between the university and the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) over a disputed electricity bill. The university administration expressed dissatisfaction after the BEDC reportedly increased the institution’s monthly electricity charges by over 200 percent, raising the bill from around N80 million to between N200 and N280 million. Consequently, the university had to rely on power generators, resulting in limited electricity availability across its campuses and hostels.
“We’ve only had one hour of electricity daily since this issue began. We’re exhausted from studying in the dark. We need electricity to prepare for our exams, and the university management must take responsibility and resolve this issue,” said John Afolabi, one of the protesting students.
The protest, which began early in the morning, saw students carrying placards and chanting slogans as they blocked the highway. “We won’t leave until something is done. We can’t afford to fail our exams due to the university’s negligence,” said Sarah Osaigbovo, a 300-level student from the Ugbowo campus.
The protest caused significant disruptions to vehicular movement, leaving many passengers stranded. “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,” said one frustrated commuter who wished to remain anonymous.
Despite the rain, the students remained determined to continue their protest. UNIBEN spokeswoman Benedicta Ehanire confirmed that the university Senate was in a meeting to discuss resolutions to the issue.
