The transportation crisis at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, remains unresolved following a 72-hour lecture boycott launched by the Students’ Union on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. The boycott was triggered by frustrations over the university’s newly introduced campus transportation system.
Students argue that while the initiative is commendable in principle, its implementation has caused severe hardship. They cite long queues, overcrowding, and difficulty accessing transport, particularly to off-campus areas. According to them, the number of buses, tricycles, and drivers is grossly inadequate. The union is demanding either a return to the old system where Town-Gboro buses and commercial motorcycles popularly called Okada operated freely on campus or a hybrid arrangement until the new system is properly managed.
University authorities, however, insist there will be no reversal. They argue that the old system compromised safety, caused injuries, and disrupted the serenity of the academic environment. The administration points to the November 2025 donation of mass transit buses and eco-friendly tricycles by Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, as a turning point in modernizing campus transport
Despite expectations that negotiations would resume after the boycott ended on Thursday, April 16, both sides remain entrenched. On Friday, April 17, PM NEWS spoke with the Students’ Union Public Relations Officer, Oreoluwa Joseph Olowosile, and the University’s Public Relations Officer, Abiodun Olarewaju, who reiterated their respective positions.
