By Emegwoako C. Paschal
As universities across the country resume classes after an eight-month strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, 900 students from Kwara State have been transported to 13 states, including the Federal Capital Territory.
On Saturday and Sunday(October 29th and 30th) , the students who received free transportation were transported to their schools in approximately 50 18-seater buses.
According to the government, the move demonstrates its concern for the plight of students.
Mansurat Amuda-kannike, the state’s press secretary for tertiary education, said in a statement;
“The Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Dr. Alabi Afees Abolore, disclosed that Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s administration decided to provide free transportation to Kwara students up North in order to relieve their parents following the eagerly anticipated suspension of the ASUU strike.
“It should be noted that the Ministry announced the free transportation service a few days ago in an effort to assist returning students to the northern axis of the country for the start of academic activities.”
According to the statement, the government had planned to hire a small number of buses for the exercise but had to increase the number to 50 due to an increase in the number of students who came to the Ministry for documentation.
AbdulAfeez Saheed, Welfare Director of the National Association of Kwara State Students, praised the Ministry’s efforts to alleviate the plight of the student community.
Babapupa Abdullateef, a student leader at Umaru Musa Yar-Adua University, Kastina, also praised the state government for its generosity to students following the ASUU strike.
