‘No light, no exams’ — KASU students protest 5-month blackout

Students of Kaduna State University (KASU), on Thursday, threatened to boycott their second-semester examinations if electricity is not restored in the institution.

The students staged a protest over the disconnection of the power supply for five months at the Kafanchan campus as a result of the school’s inability to offset the backlog of electricity bills.

The protesting students carried placards with inscriptions such as: ‘Bring back light to KASU’, ‘No light, no exams’, and ‘Light up Kafanchan Campus and restore our light’.

Eli Sajo, vice president 1 of the Kaduna State Student’s Union (KADSSU), lamented that the students have endured total darkness for almost one session.

Sajo said the student union had written several letters to the university’s management concerning the issue, but power is yet to be restored.

The student leader said the prolonged power outage is affecting preparations for their forthcoming examinations.

He said the alternative sources of electricity provided by the institution are unsustainable.

Sajo called on the school authorities to address the issue before examination starts on October 30 or there would be a boycott by students.

“For close to one session, students have endured the challenges of being in total darkness,” he said.

“We have written several letters, but to no avail. We cannot continue learning in an unconducive environment.

“Besides negatively affecting our studies, we have had our property and other valuables either stolen or vandalised by hoodlums posing a threat to our safety.

“This has grossly affected our studies and to some extent, our performances in our academics.”

Addressing the students, Ibrahim Sodangi, the provost of the Kafanchan campus, said their concerns had been noted and would be resolved.

He commended the students for the peaceful protest and urged them to give more room for dialogue so that their grievances would be adequately addressed.