UNIBEN announces indefinite shut down of academic activities

By Utebor Paul

The University of Benin (UNIBEN) has announced the indefinite shut down of academic activities in the institution.

This was disclosed by Dr Benedicta Ehanire, the university Public Relations Officer on Thursday.

According to the institution, the decision to shut down academic activities was reached due to refusal of students to compromise on their demands.

Recall that reports made the news on Wednesday about how UNIBEN students took to the streets, protesting days of power outage in the school, and also demanding for a favorable review of transport fare by the school’s shuttle service which was increased on July 1st, 2024.

According to the students, the power outage was affecting preparation for  their exams.

The school was thrown into darkness by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) due to its inability to meet up with  the 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.

Ehanire noted that the students’ demand for a 1,125-hour  supply of electricity was unrealistic.

He added that students are to vacate their hostels immediately, urging all the relevant units of the University to take note and comply.

“However, Ehanire noted that non teaching staff and staff on essential duties are not affected by the shut down.