University of Ibadan Closed Down, to Resume July 17

By Olabode Abolaji

The Management of the University of Ibadan has closed the university to academic activities until July 17.

The closure order was announced by the university’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Idowu Olayinka in a special radio programme this afternoon.

The postgraduate students are however exempted from the closure order.

Professor Olayinka has therefore asked the undergraduate students who were billed to commence their first semester examination today to vacate the halls of residence today latest by 6pm.

Reports have it that the students of the instituition have been agitating that the school authority should issue them new identity card for the current 2016/2017 academic session, set up student welafare committee and review the use electronic cooking materials in the halls of residence among others.

The university management held a meeting with the student unio executive members yesterday promising to look into the issue of the identity cards while issuing circular to the deans of faculties to allow students write examination with any other valid document of the university.

The release by the university’s Director of Public Communication, Mr Olatunji Oladejo, after the meeting has assured the students that the university of Ibadan will soon constitute student’s welfare board as requested by the students.

With respect to electric cooking utensils, Oladejo disclosed that the use of such cooking utensils in the university had been abolished since 2014 due to high cost of electricity.

He however appealed to the students to embrace dialogue rather than taking laws into their own hands.

The students had earlier threatened to shut down federal roads in Ibadan metropolis in orger to drive home their demands.

The proposed protest by the students compelled Governor Abiola Ajimobi to change the venue of his Democracy Day programme from the University of Ibadan International Conference Centre to Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State.

Officers of the Nigerian Police were heavily mobilised to the University of Ibadan to check the students from protesting.

As students were gathering to mobilise and defy the police presence, the Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Professor Idowu Olayinka was on air at the university’s radio station, Diamond fm to announcehas the closure of the school until July 17 when the students will come back to write their examination.