In a display of dissatisfaction, staff and students of the Federal Polytechnic Ado Ekiti took to the streets on Monday in a peaceful protest aimed at drawing the attention of government and relevant authorities to the deplorable state of the sole access road to their campus.
The demonstrators, numbering in significant figures, effectively blockaded the thoroughfare, resulting in extensive traffic congestion that paralyzed movement for several hours.
In separate interviews, Mr. Sunday Akomolafe, Chairman of the Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Polytechnics, Mr. Adebayo Daramola, Chairman of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), and Mr. Adebayo Abubakar, Chairman of the Non-Academic Staff Union, articulated the imperative nature of the protest. They lamented the government’s persistent disregard for their appeals spanning several years regarding the dire condition of the road.
Emphasizing the perilous state of the road, they asserted that it had tragically claimed the lives of more than five individuals this year alone due to accidents precipitated by its dilapidation. Despite their efforts to patch up the road with personal funds, they declared the situation beyond mere repairs, advocating for a comprehensive reconstruction.
The demonstrators vowed to maintain the blockade until the government undertook decisive action to address their grievances.
Commending the Polytechnic staff’s bold stance, motorists and commuters caught in the resulting gridlock expressed solidarity with their cause. They attested to the exorbitant costs incurred in maintaining their vehicles owing to the road’s detrimental effects.
