OAU insists no return of Okada as students battle transport crisis

Students of the Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife, in Osun State, have lamented the shortage of the transportation system, which has resulted in long queues on campus.

It would be recalled that the University’s management had banned public transportation plying the campus following the donation of 50 new shuttle buses and 30 CNG-powered motorcycles by the first lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.

The donation was intended to reduce accidents on campus and restore sanity to roads and their users at the school, but the school’s Students’ Union leadership disclosed that the buses and tricycles are inadequate for the school’s 35,000 students. It declared a 72-hour lecture boycott last week to press its demands for the return of the old transport system.

However, in the early hours of Monday, there was a long queue at the official park where shuttle buses and tricycles loaded students for movement into the campus.

The queue, which started at the park inside the campus, extended to the off-campus area, measuring about 100 meters from the park.

A student who spoke with Vanguard, Khadeejah Adedeji, said students were having difficulty getting from the campus to do anything outside the school.

Students were grumbling about the long queue while many joined the call for the return of public buses and commercial motorcycles, popularly called Okada, to the campus until more shuttle buses are provided.

The Students Union leadership, in a statement signed by the President and Secretary, Adelani David and Isa Habeeb, last week, demands the return of the old transport system pending the provision of more buses.

However, the Public Relations Officer of the school, Mr Abiodun Olarewaju, disclosed that the school will not allow the return of Okada on the campus for the safety of the University community, adding that the call for the return of the old transport system is being pushed by some stakeholders who also own Okada and commercial buses operating in the school.

“Go to some other campuses in the region, like the University of Ibadan, the University of Lagos, among others. The public buses dropped students at the University gate, and they walked into the school to join the shuttle buses. It is only at OAU that we are allowed to use an Okada, and it has stopped.

“The clamour for its return is due to some persons who own either commercial buses or Okada, and they want to continue to make money at the risk of the safety of our students and staff.

“I am assuring you that the fifty buses and 30 motorcycles are operational, and the management has also released some of the school’s coastal buses to join the operations to cushion the effect of the rush hours, that is, between 7:30am and 9am.

“But, after some weeks, the University observed that the intervention is not enough, it will review the situation and may consider bringing back buses, but not Okada”, he said.

Efforts to get the school’s Students Union scribe, Habeeb Isa, to comment proved abortive, as he dropped his WhatsApp calls after the reporter introduced himself and stopped picking up thereafter.

Although the Great Ife Students’ Union had last week disclosed that it will review the situation after the 72-hour boycott with a view to embarking on mass protest.

“The leadership shall review the situation at the end of the 72-hour boycott. Further actions, such as a possible mass protest/march, shall be considered if the management fails to address the demands satisfactorily within this period”.

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