The management of Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, says it has expelled 175 students for various offences.

This is contained in a statement issued by the Director of University Relations, Dr Saeedat Aliyu, on Tuesday.

The university management said that the expulsion approval followed the recommendations of the Students’ Disciplinary Committee, which held sittings between Oct. 2021 and March 2024.

The management said they expelled students who were penalised for offences ranging from examination malpractice, theft, using fake results to gain admission, assault, fraud, belonging to unregistered associations and possession of firearm.

“The management of KWASU wishes to reiterate its zero-tolerance for all acts of indiscipline as the institution stands firm on producing graduates, who are excellent both in character and in learning,” the statement added.

The authorities of the University of Benin on Thursday shut down academic activities in the institution indefinitely.

The university in a statement by its Public Relations Officer, Dr Benedicta Ehanire, attributed the decision to the refusal of the students to shift grounds on their demands.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the students on Wednesday took to the streets, blocking the ever-busy Benin-Ore Highway to protest weeks of power outages on campus.

The students, who had two weeks until their first-semester examination, said the situation was severely affecting their preparation.

The students also called for a downward review of transport fares by the UNIBEN shuttle service, which was increased with effect from July 1.

NAN reports that the university was thrown into a blackout by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) following the inability to reach an agreement over contentious electricity billings.

The monthly bill was said to have jumped from about N80 million to between N200 and N280 million, forcing the university to resort to power generators as well as rationalisation of power on the two campuses and hostels.

When a NAN correspondent spoke with the protesting students amidst heavy rainfall, they were hellbent on continuing the rampage unless their demands were met.

But in the notice of closure made available to NAN, Ehanire described the students’ demand for a 24-hour  supply of electricity as unrealistic.

“Following the insistence of students of the University of Benin to shift grounds on their demands for twenty-four hours supply of electricity and more, considered unrealistic by the University’s Senate, the University has shut down academic activities indefinitely.

“Students are to vacate the hostels immediately while all the relevant units of the University are to take note and comply.

“However, non-teaching staff and staff on essential duties are not affected by the shutdown,” said the university’s spokesperson.

(NAN)

The House of Representatives Committee on University Education has visited the University of Abuja (UniAbuja), urging the institution’s Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to call off its ongoing strike.

The Chairman of the committee, Abubakar Fulata, in an interview with newsmen shortly after Friday’s visit in Abuja said the appeal became necessary to prevent destabilising the academic calendar.

The lawmaker said the visit aligned with the constitutional provisions empowering legislators to carry out oversight functions over Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to ensure compliance with the Appropriation Act.

He called on the institution’s management to judiciously utilise what was provided in line with the 2024 Appropriation Act.

He also advised them to seek additional ways to fund the university instead of relying almost absolutely on the government.

In his remarks, the outgoing Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof. Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, commended the lawmakers for their visit and for intervening in the dispute between the school management and ASUU.

He lauded the committee for its efforts that resulted in the Federal Government removing universities from the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

“The removal of universities from IPPIS helped us from going to the Head of Service of the Federation and several MDAs before carrying out our functions like salary payment, appointments, and promotion among others,” he said.

(NAN)