Federal Poly Workers, Students Take Over Repair Of Linking Highway

By Ayodele Oni

Staff and students of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti on Monday staged a peaceful protest to call the attention of government and relevant authorities to the poor state of the only road that leads to their campus.

As part of measures to show their grievances and press home their demands, the protesters in their large number barricaded the road thus causing heavy traffic congestion which came to stand still for several hours.

The road, which seems to have defied various emergency repairs, also leads to Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, (ABUAD) and the abandoned airport project of the state government.

It used to be a link for Lagos/ Abuja bound travellers due to the short distance but has now been abandoned for other alternative routes.

ABUAD founder, Afe Babalola, (SAN) had in the past took over the repair of the road util the situation seems to have turned worse.

The spate of kidnapping on the route of recent has been on increase due to its deportable state.

In a separate interviews, the Chairman, Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnics, Mr. Sunday Akomolafe, Chairman, Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, (ASUP), Adebayo Daramola and Chairman, Non Academic Staff Union, (NASU) Adebayo Abubakar said the protest became necessary after government turned deaf ear to their plea over the years regarding the road.

According to them, the road has become a death trap alleging that more than five persons have died within this year as a result of accidents occasioned by the poor state of the road.

The staff noted that they have on several occasions contributed personal income to repair the road but its condition was beyond patching but a total reconstruction.

They vowed to continue to barricade the road unless government takes necessary action.