The Great Ife Students’ Union embarked on a lecture boycott between Tuesday, 14 April and Thursday, 16 April, to register its displeasure with the transport system and to make demands of the University management.
All academic activities were directed to resume normally with immediate effect from Friday, 17 April. The leadership of the Students’ Union expressed profound appreciation to the entire student body for their unwavering compliance, resilience, and steadfastness throughout the 72-hour boycott period. They stated that students’ unity and discipline made the peaceful and legitimate struggle possible. The Union further assured that details of the negotiation outcomes would be communicated to the general student body and presented at the next Student Congress. This statement formed the second paragraph of the release issued by the Students’ Union to signal the end of the 72-hour lecture boycott.
However, one week after the boycott, students of Great Ife have yet to receive any notice regarding the promised Congress. The student body remains in anticipation, but there has been no communication from the Union. Meanwhile, the situation persists: students continue to queue under harsh conditions to board buses, and many still arrive late to classes due to long waiting times, particularly in the mornings.
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The 72-hour boycott was initiated in response to the harsh realities imposed by the current transportation system introduced by the University management. Students have continued to face severe challenges, including inadequate campus coverage, a persistent shortage of operational buses and tricycles, overcrowding, discomfort, and an insufficient number of drivers.
Before the boycott, the Students’ Union had explained that despite multiple engagements with the University management and repeated assurances, the issues remained unresolved.
Transport Negotiation Committee’s Release
On Saturday, 18 April, the 16-member transportation negotiation committee constituted at the last congress on 14 April, made a release stating that it has been actively participating in deliberations alongside the Students’ Union Leadership.
The committee, in its release, affirmed that the complaints of students are presented at the necessary levels. If also assured that efforts are underway to ensure efficient and practical outcomes are achieved.
However, since the release was made on Saturday, the committee has yet to provide any further updates on the negotiation with the management.
Organisations in Solidarity with Great Ife
In separate statements released by the Alliance of Nigerian Students Against Neo-Liberal Attacks (ANSA) and the Liberation Generation on Tuesday, 21 April, both groups called on the Students’ Union to urgently convene a Student Congress to democratically determine the next line of action. They emphasised that the current situation demands collective engagement, not silence or delay.
The groups also urged students to continue resisting the policy through all legitimate and democratic means. They referenced the recent 72-hour lecture boycott as proof of the strength of collective action and insisted that such pressure must be sustained until the University management meets their demands. These include the immediate restoration of okada and Town-Gboro buses at pre-fuel price hike rates, in opposition to the increased pump prices under the Tinubu administration.