UNILORIN Students Groan, as Transportation Challenges Resurface (Video)

Some students of the University of Ilorin, UNILORIN, are currently finding it difficult to cope with the perennial challenge of transportation in the better by far varsity.

The students in their numbers were stranded on Tuesday morning as a result of the shortage of vehicles that will convey them to the school’s permanent site in Tanke, the neighbouring community of the school.

Vreporters gathered from the videos shared by the displeased students a situation where some of them (the students) were jumping over available vehicle perceived to be heading to the campus.

Reacting to the ugly incident, a student of the institution who preferred anonymity said the challenges being faced by the students in regard to the transportation is largely based on shortage of buses.

He said, the school manages three bigger buses, marcopolo, and there is also about two bigger buses, ‘Mai gida’ which are being managed by the government along side campus shuttles, ‘korope’, which are being managed by individuals.

He stressed further that, the shortage becomes imperative as a result of the over 8-month strike embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union, ASUU, which forced the drivers out of the campus routes.

Also, the Public Relations Officer of the students’ union, Balogun Abiodun, while reacting to Vreporters enquiries said, the students’ body is not resting on its oars to ease the students movement in and out of the campus.

Balogun premised the challenges being faced by his colleagues on the construction of flyover at the ever busy Tanke area of the school.

According to him: “The union has reached out to the government on this issue and this has led to temporary opening of the construction site, also the union is also working to get more buses on the road and this will be materialized in a matter of days” .

In a bid to keep the teeming students informed about the efforts being made by the authorities of the institution on the transportation challenges, the management in a swift press release by the Director, Corporate Affairs of the institution, Kunle Akogun, assured that measures are being implemented to ease the difficulty in the shortest possible time.

“The management is currently engaging with the Kwara State Government on the need to complete the Flyover construction on the Tipper Garage axis of the University Road timely and the provision of more strategic interventions to ease the burden of our students.

“The management is also considering the possibility of reviving the virtual lecture option, especially for large classes, to reduce the necessity of having large number of students on the road at peak periods,” the statement added.

It further stated that arrangements had already been concluded to bring in big buses for the massive movement of students, but they could not be deployed yet due to the Flyover construction at the Tanke area on University Road.

The management appealed to students to exercise patience while concerted efforts are being made to resolve the unfortunate transportation challenges.

“The welfare of our students remain the mainstay of the Management and this will not be compromised for any reason,” it added.