OAU students protest colleague’s death, bedbug invasion

Students of the Obafemi Awolowo University , Ile - Ife , have lamented that bugs have infested beds and other furniture in their hostels .
The students , who embarked on a protest on social media , complained that they could hardly sleep in the hostels .
Some of the newly admitted students told our correspondent that they kept their luggage away from the residential halls to prevent them from being infested by bedbugs .
A number of the old students said they passed the night on corridors, and the football pitch in the institution .
The Welfare Officer , Ajiboye Adekanmi, noted that the university’ s acting Dean of Students Affairs , Prof . Grace Akinola, was aware of the development.
Adekanmi said several meetings held with the DSA to lodge complaints on the poor state of students ’ welfare did not yield positive results .
He said , “ We have been making efforts about the bedbug invasion but all our suggestions have yet to be implemented . The DSA asked old students to vacate the hostels without bothering about how they will complete their projects and teaching practice .
“ When we met , she demonstrated the willingness to fumigate and resolve the challenges but the school kept complaining that there was no money . We don ’ t believe that because millions of naira was recently budgeted to purchase vehicles for the pro -chancellor and other principal officers . ”
This is as the students also expressed displeasure over the death of some of their colleagues over alleged absence of speed breakers on some strategic roads on the university campus .
It was gathered that a student of the university studying Sociology and Anthropology , Jeremiah Ashiru , died last Tuesday night on Road One of the university.
Lamenting the death, one of his colleagues wrote on social media , “ I am writing this piece with great pain in my heart . The sad event that happened on the night of Tuesday ( May 2 ) claimed the life of a young , promising colleague at OAU .
“ It is high time we stood up to let the university management know that we are not happy that accidents have become a recurrent thing on our campus , especially on that road . These accidents have taken lives of intelligent , promising and bright students . The latest being Jeremiah .
“ Speed breakers should be constructed on Road One and other roads , especially at the bend close to the dam when coming from Gate and after the local government council area . It is time for all drivers to change their orientation of speeding on university roads . ”
Another student , Samuel David , accused the executives of the Students ’ Union of not being proactive over the death of students .
He said , “ It is no gainsaying that OAU has beautiful roads , but what’ s most important is the safety and security of users , not just aesthetics . The OAU road design imitates foreign styles which do not take into consideration the maintenance of facilities necessary to check accidents . ”
When contacted on the telephone , the OAU DSA said she was at an orientation programme and asked our correspondent to call back . But she had not responded to calls subsequently put to her phone as of 7 pm production time on Monday .