Following the insistence of students of the University of Benin to shift grounds on their demands for twenty four hours supply of electricity which has been considered unrealistic by the University's Senate, the University has shut down academic activities indefinitely.
The management has directed students 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 shut down
The students, who had two weeks until their first semester examination, said the situation was severely affecting their preparation. The students also called for a downward review of transport fares by the UNIBEN shuttle service, which was increased with effect from July 1.
It was gathered that the university was thrown into a blackout by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) following the inability to reach agreement over contentious electricity billings. The monthly 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.
