UNIBEN Shut Down Indefinitely Amid Student Unrest

Academic activities at the University of Benin (UNIBEN) in Edo State have been suspended indefinitely following intense student protests.

The decision was announced on Thursday by the University’s Public Relations Officer (PRO), Dr. Benedicta Ehanire, following students’ refusal to back down on their demands.

LEADERSHIP recalls that the unrest began on Wednesday when students blocked the Benin City-Ore Highway, a major thoroughfare, protesting weeks of power outages on campus. With just two weeks remaining until their first semester examinations, students expressed frustration over the disruptions affecting their study preparations. Additionally, they demanded a reduction in the recently increased transport fares of the UNIBEN shuttle bus services, which took effect from July 1.

The power outages were attributed to a standoff 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, leading the university to rely on generators and power rationing across its two campuses and hostels.

Despite heavy rainfall, the protesting students were resolute in their stance, insisting on a resolution before ending their demonstrations. They demanded a 24-hour electricity supply, which the university administration said it was impractical.

In a notice of closure made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), 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.”

Ehanire clarified that non-teaching staff and essential duty personnel would not be affected by the shutdown.