Students of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, have declared a 72-hour lecture boycott to protest what they described as an inadequate and poorly implemented campus transportation system linked to recently donated vehicles.
The boycott, scheduled to run from April 14 to April 16, 2026, was announced in a resolution by the Students’ Union Government (SUG) after a congress held on April 9 and subsequent meetings of its leadership.
In a statement jointly signed by SUG President Adelani David and Secretary-General Habeeb Oke, the union said the decision followed weeks of mobility challenges that had disrupted academic activities and daily movement across campus.
The union said the new transport arrangement had worsened commuting conditions, citing insufficient vehicles, overcrowding, long waiting times and limited route coverage, particularly affecting students living off campus.
Students also said repeated engagements with university management had not produced immediate relief, despite assurances that the situation represented a temporary “teething phase.”
Among their demands are the deployment of more vehicles to serve the university’s student population, the temporary restoration of the previous transport arrangement pending improvements and greater consultation with student representatives before further policy changes.
The protest follows the donation of 80 compressed natural gas buses and tricycles to the university by the First Lady of Nigeria, Oluremi Tinubu, to improve mobility for students and staff. The university later restricted intra-campus transport operations to the donated vehicles.
While the union initially welcomed the intervention, it said implementation gaps had resulted in long queues, delays and reduced transport options after the exclusion of commercial operators previously serving parts of the campus.
The students warned that if their concerns are not addressed within the 72-hour window, they may escalate the action to a mass protest after reviewing the situation at the end of the boycott period.
