UNICAL students protest lack of electricity, water in hostels

Some students of the University of Calabar (UNICAL), yesterday, took to the streets to protest against lack of electricity and water in their hostels.

Malabor Republic (the popular name given to the area where female and male hostels are located) has been plagued by infrastructure challenges in recent times, with residents lamenting a lack of basic services.

The protesters, who came out from Halls Four, Five and Six in the early hours of yesterday, chanted solidarity songs to express their displeasure and frustration.

They demanded a specific timeline for the restoration of amenities, vowing to continue the protest until their demands are met.

While addressing the students, the Governor General of Malabor, Livinson Arikpo, acknowledged the challenges faced by the students and promised to immediately inform the appropriate quarters.

“We understand the difficulties you are facing. I assure you that we are working tirelessly to resolve the issues,” Arikpo said.

He urged the protesters to remain peaceful, promising that their grievances would be addressed promptly.

“We feel your pain, and we are committed to finding a lasting solution to these challenges,” he added.

When contacted, UNICAL’s Public Relations Officer, Mr Eyo Eyo, told The Guardian that the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Florence Obi, had addressed the protesting students with a promise to address their concerns.

He noted that it was a couple of students who had issues with water that came out in the morning to complain.

He explained: “Apart from the water, there is an outage issue. The Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company (PHED) very close to us here has an issue that is affecting the university and even the entire area. I think it’s a feeder issue, so there is no power on that particular rider feeding this area.

“The VC has addressed them. She said the management will provide generators to pump water for the time being. The issue has been resolved and the students have gone back to their hostels. ”

Recall that on July 1, law students and staff of the institution protested against insecurity and poor welfare.

Similarly, in 2023, students protested against fee increment by the management.

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