Electricity: Nigerian university students protest power rationing
The students of the University of Ibadan, Oyo State Capital on Wednesday, embarked on a protest over the poor power supply on the campus, as well as calling on the university management to reverse a recent memo over electricity rationing.
Penpushing reports that the protest backed by the Students’ Union (SUG) started at about 10pm on Tuesday and continued till Wednesday with the students barricading the school gate, as well as a sizable number of them gathered at the university’s administrative building.
The protesting students were seen carrying placards demanding constant power supply and reversal of a recent fee hike by the university, declaring that there would not be either lecture not transportation within the school
Penpushing further reports that it is recalled that the university Director of Works, Olufemi Adetolu had in a memo said the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Kayode Adebowale had approved a 10-hour daily electricity supply on the campus.
The memo issued on Tuesday emphasized that with this directive, students are now to enjoy electricity from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. during the day and 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. at night, a development which angered the students
Penpushing also reports that the students’ union leadership, however, listed its demands to include the withdrawal of the contentious memo, provision of constant power supply and the reversal of a recent fee hike by the university.
‘The school authority in association with maintenance must withdraw the memo on electricity rationing, dated 16th of July, 2024, and in addition, there must be constant power supply within the school effective immediately. There must be a total reversal of all fees, and not reduction. Those that have paid must be refunded’, the students body emphasized.
Penpushing reports that the Students Union Government (SUG) in same vein called for an end to the ongoing victimisation of three students of the university over their involvement in a protest in May, and they include Aduwo Ayodele, Olamide Gbadegesin and Nice Linus.
Meanwhile, as at the time of filing this report the Public Relations Officer of the University Joke Akinpelu, was yet to respond to the development, just as one student who did not want his name on print argued that the protest is about the new policy that was sent out about rationing of electricity supply on campus.
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