By SIMON EBEGBULEM

BENIN—ACTIVITIES at the University of Benin, UNIBEN, and the Benin-Lagos Road were crippled for several hours Wednesday, as thousands of Bini youths protested what they described as the “diabolic” inclusion of the University on the list of universities to receive Visitation Panel by the Federal Ministry of Education.

The youths, who also stormed the Palace of the Oba of Benin and the state Government House to register their protest, argued that it was strange for the Federal Government to dispatch a Visitation Panel to the university,
when the administration of the current Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Osayuki Oshodi, is less then two years.

Besides, the angry Bini youths, who are in the youth wing of the Benin National Congress, BNC, a Bini socio-cultural organisation, recalled that the Federal Government had in March 2009, constituted a Panel, headed by Prof. Peter Okebukola, to undertake a visitation exercise in the university for the period of 2004-2009, when Prof.Emmanuel Nwanze was Vice-Chancellor of the university.

“And up till now, the White Paper on that panel has not been released by the Federal Government and those who tried to stop the Binis from producing a Vice-Chancellor are at it again beginning from the diabolic inclusion of the University of Benin on the list of universities to receive Visitation Panels,” they added.