By Abiola Olawale
Following the escalation of panic and unrest in Benin City, Edo State over students’ protests, the management of the University of Benin has announced its decision to shut down academic activities till further notice.
The university, in a statement issued by its Public Relations Officer, Dr Benedicta Ehanire, said the decision is to douse the tension emerging from the protests that have rocked the school in the past days.
Ehanire, in the statement, attributed the decision to the refusal of the students to shift grounds on their demands.
The New Diplomat reports that several students of the UNIBEN had taken to the streets since Monday to protest power outages on campus.
The students on Wednesday blocked the ever-busy Benin-Ore Highway, leading to traffic and economic breakdown.
The students, who had two weeks until their first-semester examination, said the situation was severely affecting their preparation.
However, Ehanire, in the statement described the demands of the students as unrealistic.
According to the PRO, the demand for a 1,125-hour supply of electricity is unrealistic.
The statement reads in part: “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.
“However, non-teaching staff and staff on essential duties are not affected by the shutdown.”
