Hundreds of students of the Ondo State College of Health Technology on Monday took to the streets to protest alleged extortion by the management of the institution.
The protesting students also decried what they described as the deplorable state of infrastructure on the campus, including classrooms, hostels, laboratories and water supply.
The students, who converged in their hundreds at the institution’s main entrance, barricaded the gate and set tyres ablaze while chanting solidarity songs. They vowed to boycott lectures and examinations until their grievances were addressed by the management.
They carried placards bearing inscriptions such as “We Are Tired of This Wickedness,” “Health Tech With Poor Environment,” “Stop Extortion Now,” and “No Solution, No Exams,” among others.
The protesters accused the school authorities of imposing what they described as “unjustifiable charges” on students despite the poor learning environment.
One of the protesters said several appeals had been made to the management to resolve the issues, but the efforts had yielded no positive results.
“We cannot continue like this. The environment is not fit for learning. Until they fix these problems, there will be no exams, no lectures,” he said.
Reacting, the Provost of the College, Emoruwa Oluwambe, denied the allegations of extortion levelled against the management.
He, however, said the Ondo State Government had intervened and called for a meeting, promising to give a comprehensive response at a later time.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Banji Ajaka, who visited the institution following the protest, urged the students to embrace dialogue rather than violence.
He assured them that their concerns would be looked into and addressed, stressing that students’ welfare and the provision of a conducive learning environment remained a priority for the government.
Leave a comment