Kaduna State University Students Protest 5 Months Power Outage, Threaten To Boycott Exams

The students of Kaduna State University (KASU), Kafanchan campus, have protested the over-five-month power blackout in their school.

The protesting students with placards bearing various inscriptions like, ‘Bring back light to KASU’, ‘No light, no exams’, ‘Light up Kafanchan Campus and restore our light’, threatened to boycott the second semester examinations if the power supply was not restored.

The Kafanchan campus’s power supply was disconnected for over five months due to the inability of the school to offset the backlog of unsettled electricity bills.

Speaking during the protest, Vice Vice President 1 of Kaduna State Student’s Union (KADSSU), KASU chapter, Eli Sajo, lamented that the students’ preparations for their forthcoming examination were being hampered due to the prolonged power outage.

Sajo, who led the protest on behalf of the joint leadership of various students’ unions, stated that the students have written several letters to complain about the situation but none has yielded positive response.

“We cannot continue learning in an unconducive environment,” he stated.

He added that the blackout was also posing a threat to their safety as the students have had their property and other valuables stolen or vandalized by hoodlums.

He, however, acknowledged the efforts of the school’s management in providing alternative sources of power supply, which he described as unsustainable.

Sajo warned the school management to address the issue before the starting of their examination on October 30 or the students will boycott the examination.

Speaking to the protesting students, the Provost of Kafanchan campus, Prof. Ibrahim Sodangi, stated that the management was doing everything within its powers to resolve the issue.

He added that a compendium of the institution’s needs had been tabled before the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Abdullahi Musa, who, he said, was committed to resolving them.

Sodangi commended the students for their peaceful conduct during the protest and urged them to give room for dialogue so that their grievances would be adequately resolved.