Olayiwola Matthew
The National Association of Nigerian Students has urged Senator representing Ogun West senatorial district at the National Assembly, Solomon Adeola popularly known as Yayi to investigate and monitor the distribution of mini buses he donated to tertiary institutions in the state.
The student body also advised the lawmaker to investigate the alleged sale of the mini buses by individuals tasked to distribute them to the schools.
NANS stressed that the call had become imperative to ensure that the buses meant to alleviate the challenges of transportation confronting students in various campuses across the state are handed over to the student representatives in the respective schools.
Senator Adeola otherwise known as Yayi had announced the facilitation of five mini buses to each of the tertiary institutions domiciled in Ogun State.
The senator who stated this at the distribution of bursary and scholarship awards to students of higher institutions in the state recently, explained that the buses were to enhance transportation of students.
The student body, however, in a statement signed on Friday by the Chairman of NANS Ogun Joint Campus Committee, Gabriel Abiola Francis, raised the alarm that the noble idea of the senator had been sabotaged as the vehicles had been hijacked by management of some of the beneficiary schools.
According to him, “some heads of the tertiary institutions have refused to hand over the buses to the Student Union Governments in their schools, claiming that the buses were exclusively for the school management.”
He disclosed that findings by the association further revealed that most of the buses are allegedly in the possession of the people saddled with the responsibility of distributing them among the tertiary institutions.
He added that, “NANS similarly learnt that most of the buses have been allegedly sold off, hence, the unavailability of the vehicles on the campuses.”
Findings, he added, equally revealed that the three institutions that have taken possession of the buses have vehemently refused to allow students to use them.
He bemoaned the development, declaring “it is in contrast to the announcement of Senator Adeola who emphatically said that the buses were for the use of the students”.
Gabriel, however, expressed dismay over the refusal of the management of the schools that have received the buses but failed to release them to the students as directed by the senator.
The student leader who urged heads of the tertiary institutions to release the vehicle for the use of the students, warned that NANS will not hesitate to storm their campuses to protest the alleged cornering of the student buses.
Gabriel, therefore, urged Senator Adeola to set up an implementation committee to oversee the effective hand over of the mini buses to the intended beneficiaries, so that his novel gesture will not be rubbish.
He also urged him to investigate thoroughly the shady activities of individuals saddled with the task of distributing the buses across the institutions, particularly, the allegation that most of the buses had been sold off.