Students of the University of Benin on Saturday grounded activities at the institution’s Ekehuan Campus, blocking the main gate in protest against a three-day power outage and acute water shortage.
The demonstration left lecturers, non-academic staff, visitors and business operators stranded, as aggrieved students insisted they would not reopen the gate until water supply was fully restored.
The protesters lamented that despite paying tuition and other institutional charges, basic amenities had remained unavailable, plunging hostels into what they described as unsanitary and unsafe conditions.
“One of the major issues is that there has been no electricity for three days, and there is no water. The hostel facilities are now in poor sanitary condition,” a student, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said.
The students also raised security concerns, alleging that an unidentified man armed with a cutlass attempted to gain entry into a female hostel on Friday night. According to them, a student was injured during the incident before the suspect fled.
They argued that the prolonged blackout had worsened security vulnerabilities around the campus.
When contacted, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor in charge of the Ekehuan Campus, Prof. Adesina Ayinde, addressed the protesters and assured them that arrangements had been concluded to restore water supply, while efforts were ongoing to fix the electricity problem.
Despite the assurance, the students maintained their stance, declaring that the gate would remain locked until water flowed from the taps.
Sources within the campus attributed the crisis to the breakdown of the main generator.
They added that a backup generator procured during the tenure of former Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Friday Orunmwense, had earlier been moved to the institution’s main campus in Ugbowo.
The protest disrupted scheduled lectures and administrative activities, with several staff members reportedly unable to access their offices.
As of the time of filing this report, the university management had yet to release an official statement detailing timelines for restoring electricity or addressing the security concerns raised by the students.
The development underscores growing frustration among students over what they described as persistent neglect of infrastructure and essential services at the campus.
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