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By Zainab Bakare

The students of the University of Benin express their displeasure over the disconnection of the University’s power supply by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC). Recall, BEDC had disconnected the University’s power on the grounds of refusal by the management of the University to pay their April electricity bill of N280 million.

The students, especially those residing in the halls of residence, lament the darkness the University has been plunged into since Friday, May 28, 2024.

An occupant of Hall 1, in an interview, said: “This light issue has been affecting me badly. I had to go to my uncle’s house in Upper Mission Extension to charge. Without light, there is no water… I had to take my dirty clothes there to wash.”

Jessica, another occupant of the hostel and a 400-level student of Philosophy, also said in an interview: “It is so frustrating. They increased our hostel maintenance fee and promised to give us better services and maintenance, yet we don’t even have electricity to power our phones and there is no water.”

An occupant of Danjuma Hostel also said in an interview: “We have not had light since Friday and it is so frustrating. We do not even have a hostel generator like other hostels have. I am a 100 level student and I have to go outside school, in a town I am not familiar with, to charge every day. This is pathetic.”

A 400-level student of the Faculty of Agriculture said: “This is a situation that can be handled properly by the school management, but the management isn’t handling it properly… They are doing absolutely nothing to pacify the students and they are making it look normal even after recently paying an increased hostel fee.”

The students urge the management of the University of Benin to settle the matter with BEDC speedily so as to restore power in the school.

“They should pay up their debt and restore power in school,” an occupant of Hall 1 said.

The management of the University of Benin is urged to consider the students’ frustrations and speed up the negotiation process with BEDC.

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