IBADAN — STUDENTS of the University of Ibadan, yesterday, paralysed commercial activities in the ancient city when they moved out of campus to protest Federal Government’s alleged insensitivity to myriad of problems in education sector.
The angry students went on a peaceful protest to major streets in the city with various placards with inscriptions such as ‘Nigeria: Giant or Dwarf of Africa,’ ‘Education is dead in Nigeria,’ ‘Adieu to education sector in Nigeria,’ among others.
During the protest that lasted for hours, vehicular movements were paralysed as motorists going to places like Mokola, Dugbe, Ilorin and other northern parts of the country could not.
As a result, commuters, transporters and passengers groaned while trekking long distances.
The students called for the resignation of the Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufai.
The protest was supervised by Divisional Police Officer of Sango, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Akinfenwa, who ensured that hoodlums did not hijack it.
Led by SUG President UI, Babatunde Badmus, the students in a communiqué read during the protest, complained about unnecessary establishment of more tertiary institutions in Nigeria while the available ones suffer neglect.
They also called for modernisation of decayed facilities and obsolete style of teaching in tertiary institutions in Nigeria in the best interest of the future of the nation and Nigerians.
“While politicians like Chief Obafemi Awolowo spent so much on education our president today, is non-chalant to the extent that he takes pride in jetting out while pressing national issues that need his attention arise. Ruqayyatu Rufai should resign if she lacks the clue to the problem in the education sector.
“They take their children out of the country to private universities and cripple public universities in order to deprive the children of the masses right to education. We shall resist this attempt,” the student union leader said.
