Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) students have given the federal government 48 hours to initiate urgent repairs on the bad roads that claimed the life of a graduand in November.
Led by Mary Abiodun, the president of the Students’ Union Government (SUG), the students went to the office of the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, and the office of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) on Monday to protest against poor road conditions and frequent power outages in Oye and Ikole, the two communities hosting the university’s major campuses.
FIJ saw the SUG’s Instagram post demanding their requests be granted within 48 hours to prevent them from shutting the roads down.
Some of the protesting students held placards with various words such as: “FG, reconstruct Oye-Ikole road now”, “Safe roads; safe lives”, “President Tinubu, save FUOYE students’ lives”, “FUOYE lives matter”, “Power belongs to FUOYE students, not darkness”, “Light up FUOYE”.
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The protesting students are particularly concerned about the Oye-Ikole federal road which has become a hotspot for fatal road accidents.
FIJ gathered that Ohonsi Williams Ehigie, a final-year student of FUOYE who had come for his clearance, was one of the three people who died along the road last week.
Daniel Oguntoye, the SUG’s public relations officer, told FIJ on Tuesday that Ehigie’s death spurred the protest among other reasons.
“The accident happened around UBA in Oye. Three people died on the spot. Ehigie was one of them. Technically, he’s not even a student anymore because he was done with his examinations and thesis,” Oguntoye said.
“He just came for his clearance. I think he was even done with his clearance and was preparing to go home when the accident happened.”
Apart from the fact that the route is linked to several states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), petroleum tankers and other heavy-duty vehicles regularly ply the same road.
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Oguntoye told FIJ that FERMA promised to attend to the road. The Guardian also quoted FERMA as saying “A month ago, the Federal Executive Council approved the reconstruction of this road, and contractors will soon mobilise to the site. This will not be a flexible pavement but a durable concrete road.”
Regarding the electricity issue, the SUG spokesperson told FIJ that students paid up to N400 to charge their gadgets.
“There is no light at all. Some people now have businesses that focus on charging. Students pay N250 to N400 to charge their gadgets in these places.”
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