Students of the University of Benin (UNIBEN) staged a protest on Wednesday, blocking the Benin-Ore Highway to demand an end to weeks of power outage on their campus.
The outage, caused by a dispute between the university and the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) over increased electricity charges, has severely impacted their exam preparation, just two weeks before the first semester examinations.
The protest saw students carrying placards and chanting slogans, expressing frustration over studying in darkness due to the rationing of electricity across the campuses and hostels.
John Afolabi, a student, emphasized the necessity of electricity for studying and urged the university management to address the issue promptly.
The demonstration caused significant disruption to traffic flow, leaving commuters stranded and prompting concerns about the protest’s impact on daily activities.
Despite the challenges, the students remained steadfast in their demand for a resolution to the power crisis.
Dr. Benedicta Ehanire, UNIBEN’s Public Relations Officer, acknowledged the students’ grievances and assured that the university Senate was actively working to find a lasting solution.
(PUNCH)