Transportation Crisis: Campus Journalists Appeal To OAU Management

By Ola Oyadele/Osun State Correspondent/

Omolade Sarafa, a 300 level student of Economics Department at the Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife, is at the moment an unhappy girl. She leaves off campus hence the need to wake up as early as possible to catch up with early morning lectures. Last Monday, she was to attend a lecture fixed for 9am. And because of the current transportation crises faced by off campus students, Omolade has set out as early as 6;am. She waited for hours at the bus stop and when it was dawn on her that she may missed the lecture because of non availability of vehicles, she resorted to trekking. Trekking to OAU is not an easy task from Ile-Ife town but the young lady has no choice and along with some other students, Omolade walked down to the school campus. She got to the venue of the lecture some twenty five minutes behind schedule. Sweating profusely, Omolade met her colleagues writing a class test. She learns that, the lecturer ordered an unannounced test and without wasting time she joined the class, brought out her writing materials and attempt to write when the lecturer shouted “pens up, submit your papers”. She could not write anything and this according to the young girl was “the beginning of failure”. Indeed, the very reason for her being sad at the moment.

It is no more news that since the beginning of new session in OAU, off campus students have been experiencing difficulties transport themselves in and out of the school premises. The situation that has affected the academic performance of the students as they missed lectures especially the early hours lectures.

Read also: Transportation Crisis Hits OAU As Students Miss Lectures

The transportation problems facing the OAU students has became worse that Association of Campus Journalists, OAU Chapter hast to issue a press statement, appealing to the university management for a solution. In a press statement which was jointly signed by OGUNDOKUN Doyinmola- President, ADELEKE Matthew-Public Relations Officer, and OLUDIRAN Olusola-General Secretary, copy of which was made available to SECURITY MONITOR, the students’ journalists noted that “It is no longer news that Great Ife Students now suffer chronic transportation crises. These pathetic, appalling and pitiable crises have put students of the University in an uncomfortable and inconvenient situations.

It is thus very glaring that the number of buses plying the campus – town route are not enough for the outrageously outnumbered and overwhelming number of students leaving outside the school campus. This has become a cankerworm that destroys the comfort of students”.

The campus journalists body also added that the transportation in and out of the school suddenly becomes a tug of war amongst students. They believe that this will no doubt affect their learning and effectiveness in classes and academic performances. Noting that “this is the main objective of every student in the school and if truncated, it affects not only the students but also the academics records which the University has set over the years, because no student can learn effectively without proper amenities especially transportation”.

It was said that he University management has released two Coaster buses and a Marcopolo bus to ease the crisis but the transportation crisis still lingers. The commercial bus drivers’ failure to pay statutory dues to the University was said to be the genesis of the problem. SECURITY MONITOR learns that is the N6000 annual due is expected to b e paid to OAU and failure the management warned them to stay away from the campus.

In light of this, it is conspicous that the provisions made by the University is still not sufficient to ameliorate these crises.

OAU Campus Journalists however urge the management to provide lasting solution to the transportation bottlenecks which overwhelms the university community at the moment. They thereby made the following recommendations:

*RECOMMENDATIONS*

??That the management should endeavor to provide numerous shuttle buses to further ease transportation within the University.

??The University should regulate the activities of the bus drivers who always choose to unilaterally patronize only campus gate at the beneficial detriment of students living in town. In other words patronage should not be limited to gate alone but extended to the nooks and crannies of the town .

??The University management should endeavor to provide more hostels to further aid the security, safety, comfortability and academic convenience of the students.

??We also admonish the management to take a deep look at the step taken in inflating the price to be paid by the bus drivers.

?? Also, we recommend that the management should make road 7 easier for students by providing school busses that would be plying the road for effective transportation.