Unilorin Students Protest PHCN Insensitivity

Students of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) have protested what they described as “five minutes electricity” in their hostels. HAMEED MURITALA (300-Level Mass Communication) reports that the students have vowed not to pay their electricity bills, if there is no improvement in power supply.

It all started as a one-man campaign. In no time, the streets of Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, had been packed with students protesting epileptic power supply in their off-campus hostels.

The protesters are students of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) residing in Tanke and Oke-Odo, the institution’s neighbourhood.

By 8am last Saturday, the protesters, under the aegis of Tanke Students Association, had gathered for the “big” march. The huge crowd moved from its take-off point on Tanke Road to Tipper Garage, down to the Kwara State Government House en route to Challenge, home of the Business Unit of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

The students first stopped at the Tanke district office of PHCN, where they were addressed by a worker, who introduced himself as the Public Relations Officer (PRO) .

He said: “Unstable power supply has been a general problem for the past two weeks. We are doing our best to resolve it. All we can do now is to implore you to be patient with us.”

Before the official finished his speech, the protesters shouted: “It is a lie; it is a lie…there is electricity in the GRA (Government Reserved Area).”

They left for the Business Unit.

Carrying placards, with inscriptions, such as: “Say no to five minutes power supply”, “No light, no payment”, “Enough of darkness; give us light” and “Enough of this rubbish, PHCN”, the students complained that they had not been able to study at night and use their electronic gadgets for their academic work because of unstable electricity in their hostels.

The protesters were led by the president of the Students’ Union Government (SUG), Abdulmalik Aremu, and other members of the union.

As they approached the GRA, where the Government House and offices are located, the police drafted riot policemen to ensure that the demonstration did not degenerate into violence. Peacefully, the protesters passed by chanting solidarity songs.

The crowd ran into Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, who was going for an official assignment. The governor stopped and addressed the students.

For three weeks, there has not been power supply in the hostels, the protesters told the governor.

“We only have light for five minutes out of 24 hours every day. To the best of our knowledge, the transformers that supply power to Tanke and Oke-Odo area are not faulty. Why are they not giving us light?” Abdulmalik asked.

Ahmed assured the students that the people’s welfare would remain his priority. He said: “The government will do all it can to provide all the student areas constant power supply. But you all know that the electricity we consume comes from Osogbo power station. If you need transformers and poles, the Kwara State government will make them available to you. Write me and see what the government will do.”

The governor urged the students to maintain the peace as they moved to the PHCN office.

The protesters became infuriated when they got to PHCN Business Unit at Challenge and saw that there was electricity there. The security personnel prevented the protesters from gaining entry into the office.

When a top officer in “F” Division of the Police in Ilorin, intervened, representatives of the students were allowed to enter to dialogue with the PHCN officials. The SUG Public Relations Officer, Titilope Akogun, who was one of the three students at the talks, said the demonstration was embarked up on because students had endured harsh condition for more than three weeks and could not bear it anymore.

“We are here today to register our grievances because we have been patient enough and we cannot bear the hardship again,” Titilope told the PHCN officials. He said the protesters demanded 15 hours supply daily, but the PHCN negotiators maintained that the company could not meet that demand.

PHCN assured the students that power supply to their hostels would be improved. An agreement was signed by both parties. The protesters threatened to stage another protest if the condition did not improve.

After the meeting, Titilope addressed his colleagues, urging them not to pay electricity bill if the PHCN failed to fulfil its promise. He said: “We are here to pass a message, which we have done. The message is clear. We are saying that if they fail to give light, students will not pay their electricity bill.” None of the PHCN officials addressed the protesters after the negotiation.

The immediate past chairman, National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Kwara State chapter, Shakir Akorede, who was among the protesters, enjoined students to peacefully channel their agitation.

One of the protesters, Kazeem Shuaib, said: “It is sheer wickedness on the part of the PHCN. Anytime students are on holiday, there will be constant power supply. But when we resume, the situation changes. This is the harsh treatment we get from the PHCN. We cannot continue like this because we are paying for the electricity we are not using.”

At the time of this report, the situation has not improved.