UNIBEN don Afejuku escapes death as rainstorm destroys property

Tragedy was averted by providence on Sunday at the University of Benin as a professor of English and Literature, Tony Afejuku, escaped death by the whiskers when a tree fell and damaged part of his official residence at the Ugbowo campus of the university, Edo State.
  
Afejuku said he was reading under the tree but stepped away from his location to the front of his house few minutes before the tree fell. Many other buildings within the university were also affected by the rainstorm.
  
Some of the buildings affected included the new Senate building, the university library, several faculty buildings, boys hostel and other houses in the residential quarters.

The Vice Chancellor yesterday called on the federal and state governments for financial assistance to the institution following a rainstorm that damaged some buildings in the Ugbowo campus. Orumwense made the appeal during an on-the-spot-assessment to the affected buildings.

He listed some of the buildings affected to include Senate Chamber, Centre for Entrepreneur Development, 1,000 Lecture Theatre in the Faculty of Physical Science, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Engineering, E-Library, Faculty of Art Lecture Theatre and the university’s staff quarters. 

Orunmwense said the havoc wrecked on the buildings was enormous, noting that urgent attention is needed to commence repair to enable students learn in a conducive environment.

“It is unfortunate that the damage done is so enormous. The effect is so much and we need the help of both states and the federal government. So many roofs were removed and the buildings affected are not conducive for learning,” he said.