Many stranded as ESKU students protest fare hike

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Students of the Ekiti State University (EKSU) Ado-Ekiti on Wednesday staged a protest against the increase of transportation fares by drivers in the State.

The protesting students armed with placards with different inscriptions barricaded the university gate for several hours with lecturers and other non-teaching workers stranded.

Some of the inscriptions read, ‘Akoto don cost pass my school fees’; ‘We are not Federal Government, stop exploiting us’ and EKSU give us shuttle, it’s our right we paid school fees’.

The students union president, Dotun Ogunsanya disclosed that it was unacceptable for the shuttle bus drivers to increase the price from the town to the campus from N200 to N400.

Ogunsanya explained that the increase would bring more hardship to the students who said were facing tough times due to the economic situation in the country.

He stated that the efforts of the student leaders in the last few days to persuade the drivers to reduce the transportation fare were rebutted, hence the protest to publicly register their displeasure.

He said, “We are on the road today (Wednesday) in protest against the hike in the shuttle bus to the campus which was N200 but increased to N400 with four persons on a seat. This is unacceptable to us and we will not accept it.

“We are suffering in coming to the campus daily and the increase of the fare will further make matter worse for students especially as relates with attending classes and exams.”

But, one of the drivers, Bimbo Adelafe said that the increasing hike in the litre of petrol was the reason for the increase of the transportation fare.

Adelafe explained that for them to be on the road in record time, they patronize the black marketers who made the fuel available at the rate of between N700 and N1,000 per litre.

“You can see the queues everywhere in town and if you go there for hours to get fuel, nobody will be around to take these students to the campus. In order to address this, we buy fuel in black market at higher price to work, that is the situation,” he said.

Meanwhile, the management of the institution has declared a three-day lecture free in view of the protest embarked upon by the students over the increase in transportation fare in the State.

The university’s head of directorate of information and public affairs, Bode Olofinmuagun said, ” the lecture free days are declared in view of the present National fuel crisis which has resulted in astronomical hike in the transport fare, thus making it difficult for many of our students and staff to come to the campus.

“Arising from the above, all our students are enjoined to continue with online academic activities in their respective hostels and homes during the three-day lecture (face to face) free period.”

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