To get students and workers to the main campus at the University of Ilorin in Kwara State, management has sent out posh buses amind fuel price hike in the country.
This is an effort to mitigate the negative impacts of the high cost of transportation brought on by the Federal Government of Nigeria’s elimination of fuel subsidies.
The palliative measure, which is in addition to earlier ones, was announced by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Wahab Olasupo Egbewole, SAN, at the conclusion of the 296th Meeting of the institution’s Senate on Tuesday, according to a statement by the institution’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Mr. Kunle Akogun, in Ilorin on Wednesday.
Egbewole stated that the deployment of the buses was in continuation of the earlier provision of highly subsidized transportation in which two buses were put on the road in June for a fare of N100 per drop. She also expressed management’s deep concern over the adverse effect of the exorbitant transportation cost on members of the University community.
The Vice Chancellor noted that the university administration made the decision to add a second bus to the route and make all three buses free for employees and students after realizing how expensive transportation was becoming.
The three buses would be parked at Tipper Garage, Tanke’s University Bus Terminus between 6:30 and 7:00 am every day, departing for the campus at 7:15 am.
Likewise, the buses would leave the Fountain Roundabout, adjacent to the Senate Building, at 3:00 pm and 4:00 pm every day for the return trip when work or classes were finished.
The Vice Chancellor added that the University administration had stepped up discussions with the State government and commercial commuter bus companies on how they could help the University to ease the mobility difficulties that employees and students were experiencing.
He noted that three vehicles had been released for the University’s route as a result of negotiations with the State government, but added that the private commuter bus companies operating on the University route had agreed not to charge excessive fares.
Additionally, Egbewole announced that the University management would offer free data to all academic staff in order to enable the smooth execution of the virtual lectures project already in place.
“The virtual lecture initiative was instituted to reduce the number of times lecturers and their students would have to come to school,” the statement added.
The Vice Chancellor, however, explained that the management would come up with more palliative measures to further cushion the effect of the fuel subsidy removal once the University Governing Council is in place.
According to him, such other measures, like financial palliatives, are beyond the management as they have to be approved first by the Governing Council.
Egbewole appreciated the students and the staff for their understanding and appealed to them to continue to cooperate with the University management for the sustenance of the existing harmony on the campus and adjoining communities.