OAU students struggle as transport queues worsen

Students of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State, have decried long queues and delays in movement across campus following the introduction of compressed natural gas-powered vehicles by the management.

The development comes days after the Students’ Union suspended a 72-hour lecture boycott held between April 14 and April 16, 2026, to protest transportation challenges affecting academic activities and daily movement.

The transport changes followed the donation of 80 CNG buses and tricycles by the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, aimed at improving mobility within the university.

However, students say the implementation has created fresh challenges, particularly with the restriction of intra-campus transport to the new vehicles.

Videos circulating online on Monday show long queues at bus stops, with students waiting for extended periods to access transportation, especially during peak hours.

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Reacting, an X user, @staydowndustin, wrote, “Good morning Great Ife. This is the worst transport situation I’ve seen in the last decade. Students are queuing as far as Mayfair, literally.”

Another user, @YusluvAde504, criticised the rollout, saying, “You introduced a new transport system but forgot the most important thing ‘enough buses’. I’ve been on the queue since 7:30am for an 8am class; it’s 8:30 and I’m still on the queue. What exactly are we paying for? This isn’t inconvenience, it’s setting students up to fail.”

“OAU students are suffering. The 72-hour lecture boycott by the students’ union yielded no results. We had a very efficient transport system, and now we are forced… to enter CNG buses and motorcycles, which have proven to be very inefficient,” the user said.

“To meet up with 9am classes, you have to leave your hostel by 6am.This is my fourth year in this school, and I have never experienced this type of queue,” the post added.

Earlier, the Students’ Union Government, led by President, Adelani David, and Secretary-General, Habeeb Oke, had demanded the provision of more buses to serve the over 35,000 students on campus.

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The union also called for the reinstatement of the previous transport system pending improvements, as well as greater consultation with student leaders before policy changes are implemented.

While the union initially acknowledged the intervention by the First Lady, it maintained that operational gaps, particularly inadequate fleet size and poor planning, have led to long queues and delays.

The students warned that failure to address the issues could trigger further protests.