Academic and commercial activities were grounded for the second day running at the University of Ibadan and its environs as students took to the streets protesting epileptic power supply to the academic institution.
The students in their hundreds trooped out off the school’s gate and took control of the U.I/Ojoo road, cordoning it off and hindering vehicular movement.
The student union president, Edosa Raymönd Ekhator said with exams around the corner, the protest became necessary to get special intervention from the government to make the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) supply electricity to the school.
The deputy Vice-Chancellor Administration, Prof. Afolabi Bamgbose who represented the Vice chancellor found the protest needless and embarrassing as he claims the institution is trying its best to provide power with generators that run for at least 3hours to supply uninterrupted power daily.
He disclosed that U.I Spends N20 million monthly on diesel to power generators against the N16 million annually provided by the federal government.
From playing cards to actually sleeping with mattresses on the main road, the protesting students of the nation’s premier academic institution, paralysed economic and academic activities in and around the university for several hours.
They also vowed not to go off the street until power supply by PHCN improves remarkably.
Speaking, the students’ union president, Ekhafor Raymond Edosa, said that they will not be off the roads until the federal government intervenes and solve the electricity problem on campus.
“UI has tried all it can but we need the assistance of government. They need to build a transmission station in UI” he said.
Prof. Bamgbose said the protest is unnecessary as the institution is not immuned from the epileptic power supply bedeviling the country.
The Oyo state Police Commissioner, Tambari Mohammed also waded into the matter promising to meet with PHCN management for an amicable solution.
The students have promised to continue protesting till their demands are met.
