Students of Obafemi Awolowo University Students’ Union, on Tuesday, staged a protest on campus, demanding urgent action over lingering welfare and academic concerns.
A video from the protest ground showed large numbers of students marching and chanting at the front of the main gate.
The protesters maintained that the demonstration was peaceful, insisting that their goal was to have their “lives back to normal.”
The protest followed an earlier resolution reached at a congress held on Monday at Awo Café, where the union formally approved a demonstration.
In a statement later released by the union and signed by its leadership led by SU President, Adelani David, and SU General Secretary, Habeeb Oke Isa, also emphasised that the protest would follow the institution’s tradition of non-violence.
“The Students’ Union staged a peaceful demonstration on Tuesday, 28th April, 2026, 6am, with the intention to block major roads and gates leading to the campus until our demands are met.
“The demonstration shall be conducted peacefully and in line with the known tradition of Great Ife students for orderly and non-violent protests,” the resolution stated.
Students were further urged to participate actively while maintaining order: “All Congressmen and students are urged to participate actively and responsibly in the planned peaceful demonstration.”
The protest comes amid growing dissatisfaction over multiple issues affecting students, including transportation challenges, accommodation concerns, and delays linked to the school’s e-portal upgrade.
In a separate statement issued on April 25, the union rejected the planned mid-semester evacuation of students from Awolowo Hall Blocks 7 and 8 for renovation, describing the move as poorly timed and impractical.
“The Union categorically rejected the implementation of such an evacuation without adequate notice, proper planning, or the provision of alternative accommodation for affected students,” the statement read.
The union also criticised the ongoing e-portal upgrade, noting that students had been unable to register for courses or access results weeks into the semester.
Despite the tensions, the union reiterated its commitment to peaceful engagement but warned that patience was running out.
“We cannot continue to watch students suffer unnecessarily… The ball is now in the court of the University management to provide concrete, workable, and immediate solutions,” it stated.
OAU students have decried long queues and delays in movement across campus following the introduction of compressed natural gas-powered vehicles by the management.
The development comes days after the Students’ Union suspended a 72-hour lecture boycott held between April 14 and April 16, 2026, to protest transportation challenges affecting academic activities and daily movement.
The transport changes followed the donation of 80 CNG buses and tricycles by the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, aimed at improving mobility within the university.
However, students say the implementation has created fresh challenges, particularly with the restriction of intra-campus transport to the new vehicles.