A brewing crisis at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) has reached a breaking point as students cry out over a controversial new transportation policy that has left students stranded and academic activities in disarray.

Despite a 72-hour lecture boycott embarked upon by the Students’ Union to protest the current hardships, the university management appears to have remained unmoved, leaving the student body in what many describe as an “unnecessary plight.”

The core of the grievance lies in the forced transition to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses and the simultaneous ban on traditional commercial motorcycles and internal buses. What was billed as a move toward a more sustainable campus transport system has, according to students, devolved into a logistical nightmare.

“This is my fourth year in this school, and I have never experienced this type of queue”, a student said. He added that, “To meet up with a 9:00 am class, you now have to leave the hostel by 6:00 am. We had a very efficient transport system, and now we are being forced by people who drive private cars to use a system that has proven to be completely inefficient”.

The campus, once known for its relatively fluid transit, has been redefined by sprawling queues at various bus stops. The suspension of motorcycles popularly known as okadas and the previous commercial bus fleet has removed the primary “last-mile” transport option for students living in far-flung residential halls.

The students expressed frustration that their three-day strike failed to yield a concrete reversal or an immediate palliative measure from the administration. The sentiment across the student community is one of betrayal, with students arguing that the introduction of CNG buses should have been an addition to existing infrastructure, rather than a replacement that disrupts their academic schedules.

While the federal government has been promoting CNG as a cheaper, cleaner alternative to petrol across the country, its implementation at OAU has become a flashpoint. Critics point out that the number of operational CNG units is insufficient to cater to a student population numbering in the tens of thousands.

As the boycott ends without a resolution, there are fears of further escalations. For now, the students of OAU remain caught between the university’s drive for modernization and the daily reality of trekking to their lecture theatres.

However, the university management is yet to release an official statement regarding the failure of the CNG rollout to meet campus demand.