By Ayodele Oni
Academic activities were disrupted at the Ondo State College of Health Technology, Akure, as students staged a protest over alleged extortion and decayed infrastructure within the institution.
The protesters converged at the main entrance of the college, where they barricaded the gate, set tyres on fire, and chanted solidarity songs, preventing staff and students from gaining access to the campus
They insisted that lectures and examinations would not resume until the school management addressed their grievances, which they described as years of exploitation and abandonment.
Carrying placards with various inscriptions, the students drew attention to what they described as the deplorable condition of classrooms, hostels, and laboratories, as well as the absence of a steady water supply on campus.
Some of the placards read: “No Facilities, No Learning,” “Stop Extortion Now,” and “Our Fees Must Reflect Our Conditions.”
Speaking with reporters, some of the protesters accused the management of imposing what they termed “unjustifiable charges” on students, despite the poor state of facilities in the college.
They alleged that students were regularly compelled to pay various fees without corresponding improvements in infrastructure or learning conditions.
According to them, repeated complaints and appeals to the school authorities yielded no results, forcing them to resort to peaceful protest to draw the attention of the government and relevant stakeholders.
“We have complained several times about water, hostels, and laboratories, but nothing has changed. Yet, we are still being asked to pay different charges,” one of the students said.
As of the time of filing this report, academic activities remained suspended, while security operatives were on the ground to monitor the situation.
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