The Enugu campus of the University of Nigeria,
Nsukka (UNN) has been shut, following a
students’ protest against blackout in their
hostels. JAMES OJO (300-Level Mass
Communication) and PEACE ONUBULEZE (200-
Level Law) report. It all started as a peaceful demonstration before
it ended in violence. Students at the Enugu
campus of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka
(UNN) went wild during a protest against
epileptic power supply on the campus. The
protest became violent and  some school properties were destroyed. The protest was led by the Students’ Union
Government (SUG) leadership. The students
earlier held a congress during which
representatives of each arm of the union and
Council of Hall Governors, faculty presidents, and
class representatives met to discuss the challenge. The students were angry about the blackout on
the campus, saying the situation prevented them
from carrying out their academic assignment.
There were also complaints about lack of basic
services, such as water supply and Internet.
After the congress, the students’ grievances were forwarded to management in a letter titled:
“Enugu Campus Students’ Demands”. The letter listed the students’ key demands  and
served management a seven-day warning strike
notice. The students’ union declared “sit-in-the-hostel”
strike, which paralysed activities on the campus.
To ensure compliance, the union locked all
lecture halls and barred commercial bus plying
the campus from operating from 8am to noon. The students vowed not to go for lectures until
their conditions were met. Their  action came at
the time the school was preparing for
examination. The union president, Chukwuebuka Nwankwo,
said there was need for the management to
address the situation with a sense of urgency.
Chukwuebuka, a 300-Level Accountancy
student, said the strike was to prevent  “extreme
response” from students. After four days into the strike, the union leaders
met with the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Smart
Uchegbu, who promised “prompt action”. The
students also held another meeting with
representatives of the Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof
Benjamin Ozumba. The union leaders held another congress to
intimate their colleagues with the outcome of
their meeting with the management. At the
congress, students wanted the strike to continue
until their grievances were addressed. On Monday, students held another
demonstration, blocking the school gate. They
carried placards with the following inscriptions:
“Let there be light” and “Doctor’s cannot save
lives without light”, among others. The
protesters were restricted to the school entrance by security operatives. As the demonstration was going on, the union
leaders were holding a meeting with the
representatives of the school management led
by the Director of Information and
Communication Technology (ICT), Okeke Olisa. The school, again, promised to do its best to
restore electricity in the students’ hostel. The
management ordered the union to open the
locked classrooms for lectures to start. Olisa said
the school would also procure 1,500 KVa
generator to complement and increase electricity supply to the hostel to two hours 30 minutes. A
decision the union leaders rejected. CAMPUSLIFE gathered that electricity was
restored at night as promised by the
management but the boys’ hostels were
excluded. This led to another demonstration as
the angry boys made bonfire in the school,
before they went wild. They destroyed properties belonging to the school, including
louvers of the Main Hall and ICT centre,
streetlights, and statute of Eudoral Ibiam. The students also smashed louvers in female
hostels. The violence led to the closure of the school,
with the  VC ordering  all students to vacate the
campus, while also announcing the proscription
of unionism indefinitely. None of the students’ leaders were available for
comment, but female students criticised their
colleagues for the destruction of the school
property.