Students of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) protested on Friday the sudden death of a 500-level student of the institution, Ayomide Akeredolu.
The grieving students barricaded the busy Akure-Ilesa highway, causing heavy disruption to vehicular movement and a prolonged traffic jam that lasted for hours.
Akeredolu, popular among his peers, tragically collapsed in his hostel in Akindeko Hall days before his final papers. He was immediately rushed to the University Health Centre, where medical personnel declared him dead. The news of Akeredolu’s unexpected demise sent shockwaves through the university campus, prompting students to gather in protest.
An eyewitness said:
“We rushed the guy to the health centre around 8:30 pm. However, when we arrived, there was a power outage. Despite the efforts of the medical staff, who administered CPR, oxygen, and injections, the electricity was not restored throughout the treatment process.”
Reacting to the development, the university’s Director of Corporate Communication, Adegbenro Adebanjo, said in a statement: “Due to some perceived misgivings about services at the University Health Centre, students embarked on a protest on Friday, August 25, 2023. It is important to point out that the protest was not directly related to the death of the student.
“The representatives of the students, at a meeting with Management, called at the behest of the Vice Chancellor, pointed out some lacunae in the process of accessing services at the health centre. The corrective measures will be reviewed from time to time to ensure that they are being implemented to the letter and to the satisfaction of the students.”