In a joint effort to address the ongoing power blackout plaguing Kaduna State University’s (KASU) Kafanchan Campus, students came together in a peaceful protest on October 11, 2023.
Thousands of students took to the streets carrying placards bearing their concerns, as outlined in a communique titled “Collective Resolution on the Ongoing Power Blackout.”
The blackout, persisting for five months, has severely affected their academic pursuits, leading to a collective call for action.
The power blackout that has gripped KASU’s Kafanchan Campus began in May 2023, continuing through their last semester examinations and now threatening the upcoming second-semester examinations scheduled for October 16, 2023.
Students argue that this ongoing blackout infringes on their fundamental right to quality education, as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution’s Chapter II, Section 18.
While the university has made efforts to mitigate the situation by providing generator power, the financial constraints facing the institution have made it challenging to maintain a consistent power supply.
The generator often fails to provide power for the required study durations, hindering productive study sessions.
The students have diligently sought solutions to the power outage issue, including submitting letters to the School Management, engaging in numerous meetings with campus management, and making their grievances public through various forms of communication.
Unfortunately, these efforts have yielded limited results, leading to growing frustration.
Faced with the continued blackout and mounting academic challenges, the students collectively resolved on two key courses of action:
On the 11th and 12th of October, 2023, the students of KASU Kafanchan Campus are organizing a two-day peaceful demonstration within the campus premises to raise awareness about the prolonged power blackout.
Their hope is that this action will draw attention to their plight and exert pressure on relevant authorities to expedite the restoration of power to the campus.
In the event that power is not restored to the campus by the scheduled date of their second semester examinations on October 16, 2023, the students are prepared to take more drastic action, boycotting the forthcoming examinations.
This decision reflects their unwavering commitment to securing their right to uninterrupted power supply for quality education.
The students’ actions are firmly rooted in the constitutional rights to freedom of thought, conscience, and expression (Section 38); freedom of expression and the press (Section 39); freedom of assembly and association (Section 40); and freedom of movement (Section 41), outlined in Chapter IV of the Fundamental Human Rights under the 1999 Constitution (As Amended).
They emphasize the importance of these constitutional provisions in their pursuit of a swift resolution.
The communique serves as an official declaration of the students’ collective resolution.
They call upon relevant authorities, including the university management and the government, to swiftly take appropriate measures to restore power to the campus, ensuring that the students’ rights to quality and adequate education are upheld.
The students urge all their peers to unite in support of these resolutions and actively participate in the upcoming peaceful demonstration, demonstrating their commitment to resolving the issue and creating a better learning environment at KASU Kafanchan Campus.
