Students of Ondo State origin in tertiary institutions in the country yesterday staged a peaceful protest in Akure, the state capital asking the government to pay their bursary award.

The students under the auspices of National Association of Ondo State Students (NAOSS) accused the state government of owing them three-year arrears of bursary.

The protesters barricaded the Oba Adesida road at about 8am, causing traffic jam in the city. They carried placards with different inscriptions such as “Governor, pay our money”; “Bursary is our right, not a privilege”; “It is time to pay our bursary”.

The President of NAOSS, Charles Iwakun decried the insensitivity of the state government to their plights, stating that the students are stakeholders in development of the society.

He, however, affirmed that the protest was not meant to foment trouble or cause violence but to express their grievances so that the demand can be addressed.

Iwakun noted that they had to resort to protest because all appeals made to the government had been turned down with mere promises without concrete measures to settle their demands.

According to him: “We are out today protesting because Ondo State Government has refused to pay our bursary since 2014”.