by Nwodo Divine

It’s 8:30 a.m., and the sun is shining brightly. I remember I have a class at 9 a.m. As I rush to fetch water for my bath, I discover the tank is empty because there was no electricity overnight. I protest silently as I return to my room. I ask one of my roommates why we didn’t have water.

“Did you see light?” he asks sarcastically.

I recall that the electricity distribution company failed to supply power for the second night in a row. I sit on my bed in dismay, wondering how I will manage to take a bath. Soon, I’m on my feet, heading to my friend’s house in BDPA, a 30-minute walk from my place. There, I take my bath and rush to school.

This was one of my many negative experiences living on UNIBEN’s campus last year.

I graduated several months ago, but to this day, the story remains the same for a lot of students. However, now the students are tired of adapting to the terrible living conditions and are making their voices heard, demanding that the school administration bring about the necessary changes.

It is why students from the University of Benin (UNIBEN) took to the streets to protest the absence of power supply for over six weeks and the overall abysmal living conditions on campus.

Their peaceful demonstration on the Benin-Lagos expressway, where they even played football, caused significant gridlock, which drew criticism from members of the university staff.

This is not an isolated event. Sadly.

Last year, UNIBEN students staged a protest against a steep hike in school fees. Every year, the administration seems to creatively devise new forms of living hardships and impose the same on the students, thereby raising the question: Why are UNIBEN students treated like second-class citizens in their citadel of learning and on their campus? 

Poor Campus Living Conditions

The conditions in most of UNIBEN’s hostels are nothing short of appalling. One student I spoke to likened it to a prison, describing faded, dilapidated buildings and cramped rooms with each housing up to eight students on average. The hygiene is deplorable, with one hosteller recounting contracting infections from the toilets multiple times.

Worsening the students’ plight, they are forced to use kerosene stoves for cooking as gas and electric stoves were banned by the school authority. In today’s fast-evolving 21st century, one would expect the administration of a reputable Federal-owned institution such as the University of Benin to know better than to expect such laughable, backward innovations of its students e.g. cooking with kerosene stoves.

The resulting smoke poses severe environmental hazards and health risks. With current kerosene prices nearly competing with gas rates, this condition is both archaic and heartless.

Like its progress, the administration’s excuse has been stagnant: the hostel transformer’s inability to handle the load of electric stoves. A flimsy justification.

The poor maintenance of the hostels culminated in a fire outbreak in Hall 2, destroying rooms, important documents, and personal possessions. Although the fire service was alerted early, they arrived without water, leaving students to douse the flames with buckets of water fetched from distant places.

The administration blamed the incident on the use of banned electric plates, ignoring their own neglect. To date, most affected students remain uncompensated and without new accommodations, despite paying maintenance fees.

Power Outage

Less than a year after the fire, the Benin Electricity Supply of Edo State cut off power to UNIBEN due to an unpaid debt of Three Hundred Million Naira only (#300, 000, 000.00), plunging the university into darkness. Students living on campus were forced to seek basic amenities like bathing and charging their phones and other electronic devices off-campus.

Their academic activities suffered, with the case of a computer science student unable to complete tests due to the power outage being heard of. Despite promises to resolve the issue, six weeks passed without action. The vice chancellor recently admitted the university’s inability to settle the debt, even suggesting a possible session suspension if students couldn’t endure the conditions.

Furthering the administration’s bid to stifle convenience out of the living conditions of its students, transportation costs within the university have also soared, with cab fares increased by over 900%! Such alarming administrative creativity. 

Today, UNIBEN students are engaged in protest because their endurance has reached its limit. This situation is a damning indictment of the government and the university management. Their collective failure has resulted in intolerable living conditions that in turn hinder the students’ ability to meet their primary need:  focus on their studies and fulfil academic diligence.

How can students excel without basic amenities like electricity? How can they read, study, or prepare for exams in the dark? How can they conduct research and/or engage with modern technology essential for their academic growth?

Improving living conditions is not just a matter of comfort but a fundamental requirement for fostering a conducive learning environment.

Last Words

People often claim that UNIBEN students love to protest. Having spent four years at the University of Benin, I can unequivocally say this is not true. These students have too many bills to pay, books to read, assignments to complete, tests and exams to prepare for, and businesses to run to spend their days protesting on the roads. It took six weeks of power outages before they finally took to the streets.

Rather than focusing on superficial actions like shutting down the school, the school management should look for practical, immediate solutions to the problems.

Addressing these issues requires a multifaceted approach, starting with increased government support to ensure that basic amenities like electricity and adequate living conditions are consistently provided.

The government must increase funding for educational institutions. Additionally, the university should actively engage its alumni network in fundraising efforts, leveraging their success and goodwill to invest in infrastructure improvements and student welfare programs.