FUOYE Students Protest Death Of 10 Colleagues

Students of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti (FUOYE), have stormed the office of the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) in Ado Ekiti, protesting the deplorable state of the Ifaki–Oye–Ikole Road, which they blamed for the tragic deaths of 10 of their colleagues.

The students, led by their Students’ Union Government (SUG) President, Mary Abiodun, carried placards with inscriptions such as “No More Deaths”, “FUOYE students’ lives matter,” “Repair Oye-Ikole federal road now,” “Enough is enough,” “President Tinubu, save our students’ lives,” “Stop neglect of our infrastructure,” and “FERMA in Ekiti State is useless.”

They decried what they described as years of government neglect and issued a 48-hour ultimatum for FERMA and the Federal Government to commence repairs.

Abiodun, addressing FERMA officials, said, “This road has become a death trap, claiming the lives of our students, staff, and members of the Oye Ekiti community. Just last week, we lost a promising alumnus, Ohonsi Williams Ehigie, in yet another avoidable accident. FERMA’s inaction is a blatant disregard for human lives.”

The protesters highlighted the importance of the Oye–Ikole Road as a major link connecting Ekiti to Abuja and neighboring southwestern states like Ondo, Osun, and Oyo. However, they lamented its poor state, which has led to numerous accidents involving tankers, trailers, and commercial vehicles.

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“Over 10 of our colleagues have died because of this road. The situation is unacceptable, and we will not remain silent while our peers continue to lose their lives due to negligence,” Abiodun added, threatening to barricade the road if repairs were not initiated within 48 hours.

Responding to the protest, FERMA’s Federal Road Maintenance Engineer in Ekiti, Simon Adeniyi, apologized for the condition of the road and the loss of lives.

Adeniyi assured the students that the Federal Government had awarded a contract for the road’s reconstruction.

“If you followed the news, you would have heard that about a month ago, the Federal Government approved the reconstruction of this road, and the contractor will resume work soon. It will be a concrete road, not just an asphalt surface,” Adeniyi explained.

He also disclosed that FERMA was planning palliative measures to ease the road’s condition while awaiting the main construction work to commence.

Despite FERMA’s assurances, the students insisted that urgent action was necessary to prevent further tragedies.

“We can no longer endure the pain of losing our friends and loved ones. If no action is taken, we will occupy the road to demand justice for the lives lost,” Abiodun warned.