Academic activities at the University of Benin, UNIBEN, in Edo State have been indefinitely suspended due to ongoing intense student protests.
The announcement came on Thursday from the University’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Dr. Benedicta Ehanire, after students refused to relent in their demands.
The unrest began on Wednesday when students blocked the Benin City-Ore Highway, a major route, to protest weeks of power outages on campus.
With only two weeks remaining until their first semester exams, students expressed frustration over the disruptions hindering their study preparations.
Additionally, they called for a reduction in the recently increased transport fares for the UNIBEN shuttle bus services, which had risen from July 1.
The power outages stemmed from a dispute between the university and the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) over a contentious electricity billing issue.
The monthly bill had reportedly surged from approximately N80 million to between N200 million and N280 million, forcing the university to rely on generators and implement power rationing across its two campuses and hostels.
Despite heavy rainfall, the protesting students remained steadfast, demanding a 24-hour electricity supply, which the university administration deemed impractical.
In a notice of closure made available to the press, Dr. Ehanire explained the decision:
“Following the insistence 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.”
