Aggrieved students of the Federal University Oye-Ekiti(FUOYE) on Monday protested over the deplorable condition of the Oye-Ekiti -Ikole-Ekiti federal road.
The students in their large numbers stormed the premises of the Federal Road Maintenance Agency(FERMA) office in Ado-Ekiti, with placards with different inscriptions where they paralyzed activities in the office.
Some of the placards read, ‘ Enough is Enough ‘ , President Tinubu Save FUOYE Students Life’ , ‘ FG reconstruct Oye – Ikole road Now ‘ , Our Voices Must Be Heard ‘ , ‘ Stop Neglecting Our Plights’ FERMA in Ekiti is Useless’ among others.
The students also visited the office of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company(BEDC) in the state capital over the blackout in the university community in the last six years.
Speaking on behalf of the protesting students, the Student Union president, Mary Abiodun explained that the poor condition of the federal road has led to the death of students and staff of the university.
She explained that due to the deplorable condition of the road, no fewer than ten students of the institution have died in road crashes.
According to her, the students demand an urgent commencement of the reconstruction of the road within the next two days, failure would lead to total shutdown of the expressway.
Abiodun said, ” The Oye-Ekiti Federal Road is a crucial link between the nation’s capital, Abuja, and several southwestern states, including Ekiti, Oyo, Osun, and Ondo. This road is heavily trafficked by large vehicles such as petroleum tankers and 18-wheel trucks transporting goods, including Dangote Cement and Mikano Trailers.
” Tragically, this road has been in disrepair for an extended period, leading to numerous accidents, loss of lives, and untold hardships. As a responsive Union prioritizing the safety of its members, we cannot tolerate FERMA’s negligence, which endangers the lives of FUOYE students, staff, and the local community.Immediate action is imperative. We can no longer endure the brutal loss of our students due to improper road maintenance and the absence of necessary palliatives. We can’t take it anymore.
” The Federal Government should initiate a comprehensive reconstruction project to transform the Oye-Ekiti Federal Road into a safe, modern, and durable highway.
” Failure to adhere to ur demands will result to massive protests at the FERMA office, Ado. We would ensure no moving in or out. We must ensure blockage measures are in place that make the road untraffikable for heavy trucks.
” We call on all the National Students Association Bodies, Alutarian, all Students Union Governments, students, staff, and concerned citizens to join us in protesting FERMA’s negligence and demanding urgent action from the Federal Government.
” We will not stand idly by while lives continue to be endangered, dreams keep getting cut off and hope of families been buried. We demand a immediately actions for safeguarding and keeping the future and Leaders of our great nation, Nigeria.”
Addressing the protesting students, the Federal Road Maintenance Engineer in FERMA, Simon Adeniyi who commended the students for the peaceful demonstration, sympathizsed with them over the demise of the students.
Adeniyi who disclosed that the Federal Executive Council has approved the reconstruction of the road, assuring them that the contractor would soon be on site.
