From Tony Osauzo, Benin
Students of the University of Benin amidst rainfall, yesterday, took to the streets, blocking the busy Benin-Ore Highway to protest weeks of power outage from the university campus.
The University was thrown into a blackout following the management’s inability to reach an agreement with the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) over its monthly electricity billing which is said to have increased from N80 million to about N280 million, forcing the university to resort to power generators as well as rationalisation of power on its two campuses.
The situation is said to be impacting severely on students’ preparation for their first semester exams scheduled for the next two weeks.
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The protest started early in the morning with students carrying placards and chanting slogans as they blocked the highway.
“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”, one of the protesting students, John Afolabi, said.
Similarly, another student, Sarah Osaigbovo, said “We will not leave until something is done. We can’t afford to fail our exams because of the university’s negligence”.
Expectedly, the protest disrupted the free flow of vehicular movement, with many passengers stranded and unable to reach their destinations.
Meanwhile, the Public Relations Officer of the University, Dr. Benedicta Ehanire, said a meeting of the University Senate was ongoing to resolve the issue.
