UI students’ protest paralyses commercial activities

By OLA AJAYI
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 peacefulprotest 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 resignationof 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 ofteaching 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.