OAU Students Boycott Lectures Over Transport Challenges

Students of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, have declared a 72-hour lecture boycott in protest against what they described as an inadequate and poorly implemented campus transportation system.

 

The boycott, scheduled from Tuesday, April 14 to Thursday, April 16, 2026, was announced by the Students’ Union Government following a congress held on April 9.

 

In a statement co-signed by the Students’ Union President, Adelani David, and Secretary-General, Habeeb Oke, the union said the action followed weeks of frustration over mobility challenges affecting academic activities and daily movement on campus.

 

“The union shall embark on a total 72-hour lecture boycott… All academic activities are to be boycotted throughout this period,” the statement read.

 

The students criticised the current transport arrangement linked to vehicles donated by Oluremi Tinubu, citing insufficient buses, overcrowding, long waiting times, and poor route coverage.

 

They noted that the situation has been particularly difficult for students living off-campus, who now depend on limited and costly alternatives.

 

The union added that engagements with university management had yet to produce immediate solutions, despite assurances that the system is in a transitional “teething phase.”

 

Students are demanding the provision of more vehicles for the over 35,000 student population, temporary reinstatement of the previous transport system, inclusion of student leaders in transport policy decisions

 

They also called for a hybrid transport model that accommodates both campus and surrounding communities.

 

The union warned that failure to address these concerns within the boycott period could lead to escalation, including a mass protest.

 

The development follows the donation of 80 compressed natural gas buses and tricycles by the First Lady to improve mobility, after which the university restricted intra-campus transport to the new system—a move students say has worsened commuting conditions.