The Management of University of Benin (UNIBEN) has down academic activities indefinitely, following students protest that locked down the main Campus gate of the institution on Ugbowo Lagos Road on Wednesday July 3, 2024.
The Public Relations officer of the University of Benin, Dr (Mrs) Benedicta Ehanire disclosed this on Thursday July 4th 2024 in a statement in a bid to save the institution from snowballing into chaos.
She said in a statement that the decision followed the alleged refusal by students of the University to shift grounds on their demands for twenty four hours supply of electricity, which the University’s Senate considered unrealistic.
The statement said, “Following the in 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 directed to vacate the hostels immediately while all the relevant units of the University are to take note and comply”, while “non teaching staff and staff on essential duties are not affected by the shut down”, according to the statement.
TheNewspad reports that the University was thrown into a blackout following the inability to reach an agreement with the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) over a contentious electricity bill.
The Management of the University had expressed discontent after the Benin Disco reportedly made an upward review of the institution’s monthly electricity charges by over 200 per cent.
The monthly electricity bill was said to have jumped from about N80 million to between N200 and N280 million, forcing the university to resort to power generators as well as rationalisation of power on the two campuses and hostels.
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