ILE-IFE, OSUN STATE– Academic activities at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, have actually come to a dead stop as the Students’ Union commenced a 72-hour lecture boycott on Monday, April 13, 2026.
The industrial action follows what the union describes as serious and dehumanising conditions arising from the school management’s brand-new transport system.
The crisis erupted quickly after the release of 50 buses and 30 tricycles just recently contributed to the institution by the First Girl, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
Failure of the New Order
In a joint statement signed by the Union President, Adelani David, and Secretary, Habeeb Oke, the leadership directed all trainees to stay away from lecture halls and scholastic venues till Thursday, April 16.
The union kept in mind that the choice was reached after a one-week observatory mode and a strategic conference including the Central Executive Council (CEC), Hall Executive Council (HEC), and the Trainees’ Representative Council (SRC).
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Despite an earlier appeal by the University’s spokesperson, Abiodun Olarewaju, for trainees to exercise patience while management fine-tuned the logistics, the union insists the circumstance has ended up being unbearable for the over 35,000 members of the university community.
Core Grievances Cited by the Union:
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Inadequate Protection: Big sections of the sprawling campus stay unserved by the new fleet.
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Logistical Scarcity: A consistent lack of functional tricycles and buses relative to trainee volume.
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Personnel Gaps: An inadequate number of motorists to man the contributed cars.
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Security Issues: Severe overcrowding at bus stops causes discomfort and security threats.
The Charter of Demands
The Students’ Union has laid out a clear roadmap for resolution, insisting that no scholastic activity will resume till the following conditions are satisfied:
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Reintroduction of the Old System: An immediate return to the previous transport arrangement to run simultaneously with the new buses until the fleet is expanded.
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Fleet Growth: Arrangement of more vehicles to realistically cater to the university’s population.
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Strategic Application: A transparent plan to ensure cost effective and reliable intra-campus mobility.
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Stakeholder Assessment: Necessary addition of the Students’ Union leadership in any future policy changes concerning campus logistics.
The union management has alerted that the 72-hour boycott is just a preliminary procedure. If the university management stops working to deal with these needs adequately by the end of the duration, the union will think about a possible mass protest or march throughout the ancient city of Ile-Ife.
Management’s Issue
The university management discovers itself in a precarious position, stabilizing the combination of a significant federal donation with the immediate requirements of a restive trainee population.
While the donation from the First Girl was planned to reduce transportation troubles, the technical drawbacks in release have instead produced a bottleneck that now threatens the stability of the 2025/2026 scholastic calendar.
Since Monday night, lecture theatres stayed empty, with school security reportedly on high alert to make sure that the boycott remains serene and does not intensify into a confrontation with university authorities.