OAU Transport Culdesac: The Struggle Continues

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          Fawas Adedeji 

Since the inception of the newly operational Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) transport system on April 1st, the crisis of the commuting system has been heating up OAU politely, resulting in long queues, overcrowding, and difficulty accessing transport every day. 

Sequel to the two consecutive Congresses held by the Great Ife Students'Union, on the demands for more CNG buses/tricycles, or reinstatement of the Town-Gboro buses by the management, no proactive actions has been taken still, as lectures resume without a clear way forward. 

As the recurrent problem of the transport system becomes persistent, the struggle which OAU is known for is not only fiction but also reality.

However, the university management claimed that the new system was to make the OAU community an “ideal academic environment,” the GreatIfe students insisted that there should be adequate provision of more transport vehicles in the population and community of over 35,000 students.

The long queue syndrome took a hyper dimension today, as the roads outside the campus gate were cluttered, because of the inadequate supply of bus and tricycle buses for the commuting system, leading to a long queue from the bus terminal inside the campus, through Ede road. 

While speaking with the ICONS Correspondent, a female student from the Department of English, Eniola Adelana, welcomed the new transport system, by describing it as a mark of continuity in the world of academia, while she also maintained that every new development usually comes with hiccups but for the meantime. 

“The new transport system is a sign of progress. Meanwhile, the current issue of vehicle shortage will be sorted out with time. Changes always come with their setbacks, yet, it doesn’t mean those changes are bad,” she concluded.

Another student from the Department of Arts and Sciences, Samuel Adewumi, also explained that the new transport system is “very stressful and bad, OAU management should reverse the existing transport system, and reinstate the old transport system,” he said.

 Nehemiah Ayeni also commended the new system, moreover, he lamented the shortage of the vehicles. “My only problem with it is insufficient buses, because 35,000 students is obviously higher than the number of the buses available,” he reaffirmed.

The bottom line is that the university management has refused and insisted the system has come to stay and there will be no reversal. They claimed that the old system compromised safety, caused injuries, and unsettled the tranquillity of the academic community.


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