Gridlock in Ibadan as University students Protest halt Vehicular movement

University of Ibadan students Protest

Vehicular movement halted  for close to three hours in some parts of Ibadan, Oyo State  on Thursday as students of the  University of Ibadan protested  against the   “poor handling of education” by the Federal Government.

The students, who carried a coffin signifying “the death of education in the country,” converged on the main gate of the university around 7.30am.

They were    led by their  union officials  as they   chanted anti-government songs from Agbowo to Samonda, Sango and Mokola areas of the city.

They called for the resignation of the Minister of Education, Rukayat Rufai, and displayed  placards with inscriptions such as  ‘Nigeria: Giant or dwarf of Africa?’,  ‘Adieu to education in Nigeria’, ‘ASUU don’t betray this struggle with earned allowances’, ‘Education is dead in Nigeria,’ among others.

Security agencies, led by the Divisional Police Officer, Sango, Mrs. Olufunmilayo Akinfenwa, monitored the procession.

The students took turns to express their displeasure with poor handling of education in the country and  described  the posture of President Goodluck Jonathan to the sector as disappointing.

The  UI Students Union Government  President, Babatunde Badmus, who  backed the ongoing  ASUU strike, called for prompt  implementation  of the  contentious Federal /ASUU agreement.

A statement read by Badmus urged the Federal Government  to ensure that the budgetary allocation to education was increased to 26 per cent in line with UNESCO standard.

The statement read, “The UNESCO recommends that minimum of 26 per cent of the budgetary allocation in developing countries be devoted to education. Instead, Nigeria government scarcely allocates less than 10 per cent of its  budgets to education. We want ASUU to prioritise the revalitisation of quality education”.