The University of Benin has suspended academic activities indefinitely following a protest by students over prolonged power outages on campus. The students, who blocked the Benin-Ore Highway on Wednesday, are demanding a 24-hour electricity supply, which the university management considers unrealistic.
According to a statement by the institution’s Public Relations Officer, Benedicta Ehanire, the shutdown does not affect non-academic staff, and students have been ordered to vacate their hostels immediately.
The full statement reads:
“Following the refusal of students of the University of Benin 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 shutdown.”
The students’ protest comes just two weeks before their first-semester examinations, and they claim the power outages have severely impacted their preparation. The university management’s decision to shut down academic activities indefinitely aims to restore order and address the students’ demands.
