Students of the University of Benin took to the streets on Wednesday, blocking the heavily trafficked Benin-Ore Highway in protest against ongoing power outages that have plagued the campus for several weeks. The demonstration comes just two weeks before their first semester examinations, which the students say are being severely disrupted by the power crisis.

The students expressed frustration over the blackout that resulted from a dispute between the university management and the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) over a significant increase in the institution’s electricity bill. Reports indicate that the monthly electricity charges were raised from approximately ₦80 million to between ₦200 million and ₦280 million, a surge of over 200 percent.

As a result, the university has been forced to rely on power generators and ration electricity across the two campuses and student hostels, providing only one hour of electricity daily.

John Afolabi, a student involved in the protest, voiced the concerns of the student body: “We only had one hour of electricity every day since this issue started. We are tired of studying in the dark. We need electricity to read and prepare for our exams. The university management needs to take responsibility and fix this issue.”

Sarah Osaigbovo, a 300-level student from the Ugbowo campus, echoed similar sentiments: “We will not leave until something is done. We can’t afford to fail our exams because of the university’s negligence.”

The protest led to severe traffic disruptions, stranding passengers and halting the free flow of vehicular movement on the Benin-Ore Highway.