Tension flared in Ibadan, Oyo State, on Tuesday as students of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, staged a major protest against the recent decision to rename the institution
The protest, which brought traffic to a standstill along the busy Sango-Eleyele Road, saw students barricading the campus gates and blocking sections of the road, leaving commuters stranded for hours.
Their anger was triggered by Governor Seyi Makinde’s announcement that the institution would be renamed Omololu Olunloyo Polytechnic in honour of the late Omololu Olunloyo, a former governor of the old Oyo State who passed away recently at the age of 89. Olunloyo was the first Ibadan indigene to serve as governor of the old Oyo State.
The students, however, condemned the move, describing it as unnecessary and a direct affront to the institution’s identity and legacy.
Eyewitnesses reported that both main gates of the school were shut, with students also blocking nearby roads, forcing vehicles and pedestrians to seek alternative routes.
As of press time, security agencies had yet to issue any official response to the situation.
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Let them protest