On most mornings and evenings, the bus stop is already full with students, over-crowding the bus stop; they cluster tightly around the car park, watching vehicles arrive and fill up within minutes. Conversations pause whenever an engine approaches. Space is limited, and overcrowding has become part of the routine.
This pattern has remained largely unchanged despite the commissioning of the Re-innovated Students’ Union Building (SUB) Car park and the new campus buses and tricycles donated by the First Lady, Mrs Oluremi Tinubu, 10 days ago. The commissioning, which took place on Thursday 29th of January, was received with optimism and expectations. The event was graced with dignitaries like the Ooni of Ife and other notable kings around ife environ.
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The renovated SUB Car park has added more beauty and organisation to the Transport system in the school. The car park has been functioning and busy since the commission took place, but that cannot be said of the buses, which were expected to ease movement across the university and reduce pressure on existing transport options.
Students’ Expectations
For a lot of students, the expectation was not abstract. The buses were seen as a practical intervention, one that would reduce transportation costs and ease the persistent congestion at the car park, especially during peak hours. However, students interviewed say they have yet to see the buses operating on regular campus routes.
Damilare, a Part 3 student of the Department of Materials Engineering, said that ‘After commissioning, nothing has changed in reality because our expectations were probably that the transport fare would be reduced and we would no longer experience scarcity of buses, but in reality nothing has really changed because after the commission last week, I was expecting more buses and a lower transport fare.’
Another student who also noticed the absence of the commissioned bus also said that ‘Nothing has changed, except for the fact that the commissioning added to the history of OAU (especially the presence of Sen. Remi Tinubu 3 times in two years). I would say my expectation for the generality of OAU students is the effective management and the sustainability of the buses commissioned.’
Flora, a Part 3 student of Linguistics, expects an honest, fair reduction in transport fares, but nothing has changed after the commissioning.
During rush hours, vehicles fill quickly, queues form, and delays are common. In this context, the continued overcrowding at the bus stop shows no difference between when there was no commissioned bus and when they have been commissioned.
For now, the buses exist more as an expectation than a service. Students continue to crowd the same bus stops and pay the same transport costs, waiting to see when the newly commissioned buses will become part of the daily campus movement.
The Vehicles Will be Operational by March – Students’ Union President
At the emergency congress that took place at Aluta Square on Friday 6th, the president of the Great Ife Students’ Union, Adelani David, addressed transportation issues with the President announcing that the recent transportation problems faced by students were due to towngboro buses being reduced as a result of the implementation of 50 CNG buses and 30 tricycles donated by the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. According to him, these buses are expected to be fully operational by the end of March. As a consequence, the number of town-gboro buses has now been increased to 200 from 150 that were allowed at the beginning of the year to alleviate transportation issues for students.