By SIMON EBEGBULEM
BENIN —  ACTIVITIES at the University of Benin, UNIBEN, and the Benin-Lagos Road were crippled for several hours yesterday, when 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 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; and the chauvinistic attitudes of the members of the so-called panel to blackmail the university authorities, because, of our petition to President Jonathan on this subject,” Mr Osazee Erhiamatoe, who led the protest said.

He further alleged,“the chairman of the ‘imperialist’_panel has boasted that nobody can stop him from indicting at least five Principal Officers of UNIBEN during his interaction with some University’s officials on Monday 21st February 2011; and this clearly confirmed our fears of falsehood and mischief.

“The setting up of this panel is not unconnected with the evil agenda of political godfathers who substantially controls the affairs of federal Government ministries and parastatals; but we make bold as to say that their game is up unless they have resolved to make our State ungovernable, by the grace of God, they and their immediate families will be the first set of victims.

So we find this conduct as barbaric, satanic and inimical to the transparency advocacies of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan GCFR, therefore we will resist it even with the last drop of our blood” he declared.