OAU Shut Down, Suspend SUG As Student Protest Rocks Campus

The management of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) has ordered the shutting down of the school and directed students to vacate the campus.

The directive was given in a statement on Friday signed by the Public Relations Officer of the University, Abiodun Olarewaju.

The statement disclosed that the school will be shut down until further notice following the action of the protesting students earlier on Friday who blocked the Ife/Ibadan and Ife/Ede highways and other adjoining roads.

Naija News gathered the protest was sparked by the death of a female student, identified as 24-year-old Aisat Omowumi Adesina, a student of the Department of Foreign Languages.

The protesting students alleged that her death could have been averted if the school clinic had not been negligent and promptly attended to her.

The co-signed statement issued by the elected, but yet to be inaugurated OAU Student Union Government, blamed the school clinic for the final year student’s death and rallied other students for a protest against inadequate health facilities in the school.

The statement, signed by the union’s Public Relations Officer, Ogunperi Olalekan, as well as its President and General Secretary, Olayiwola Festus and Odewale Samuel respectively reads: “Following the death of one of the members of the Union, Adesina Aisat, a part 4 student at the Department of Foreign Languages, the union hereby call all students to take part in a protest against inadequacy of the healthcentre of the university.

“As disappointedly known amongst us all, the health centre as on too many occasions failed in its duty to adequately attend to health needs of students and in cases like that of Adesina Aisat, many students of lost their lives.”

The student protest on Friday morning caused traffic gridlock on the Ile-Ife/Ibadan highway and other roads and after the appeals by the university management for the students to allow an amicable resolution of the matter fell on deaf ears, the indefinite closedown of the school has been ordered.

“…Management condemns in strong terms the continuous and uncontrolled protests by the students culminating in unbridled brigandage, blocking the Ife/Ibadan and Ife/Ede highways and other adjoining roads that could be used as alternative routes, and engaging in other acts that are detrimental to their health and the safety of the generality of the people.

“Therefore, having exhausted all necessary avenues to call the students to order and allow normalcy to return to the Campus and its environs, the authorities of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, have accordingly closed down the School until further notice. This is to forestall further breakdown of law and order.

“In view of this, all students are hereby directed to vacate their halls of residence and the Campus latest by 12:00 noon on Saturday, 2nd October, 2021.

“Consequently, the swearing-in of the newly elected Students’ Union officials has been put on hold, pending a review of the situation.

“In the meantime, the University management has put in place the machinery to unravel the circumstances surrounding the immediate and remote cause(s) of the crisis”, the school statement reads.

An earlier statement from the school management announcing the unfortunate death of the student had commiserated with the entire student body and the family of the deceased.

“The Management of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, regrets to announce the death of one of our students, ADESINA, Omowumi Aisat, a 24 – year old, female student of the Department of Foreign Languages. The student reported to the Health Centre on Tuesday, 28th September 2021 with signs and symptoms of a severe infection. She was promptly treated with some drugs prescribed and asked to report back as an out patient.

“Miss Adesina reported back to the Health Centre in the morning of Thursday, 30th September, 2021. Upon examination, she was referred to the Seventh Day Adventist Hospital for further management where she regrettably died.

“The management sympathises with the parents, friends, colleagues and the entire students of the University on this sad loss, and pray for the repose of her soul.

“The management will like to appeal to all students of the students of the University to remain calm and kindly refrain from any act that can jeopardize the peace on campus and truncate the ongoing Rain Semester examinations”, reads the statement.