Speaking at the protest ground on Tuesday, a student leader, Sola Adeyemo, said the state government must immediately address the challenges facing students in higher institutions.
Students from various higher Institutions in Oyo State are currently protesting at the entrance of the state secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, Oyo State.
The students defied heavy rainfall and came out in their thousands.
They lamented the poor state of education in the state, the attitude of the government towards lecturers, and the alleged tyrannical operation of Platinum Consultant engaged by Governor Seyi Makinde to oversee the activities of tertiary education in the state.
They commended the immediate past governor of the state, the late Senator Abiola Ajimobi, for some of his policies, saying Makinde has destroyed the education standard beyond repair.
The Joint Action Committee of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics in the state which include Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo; Oyo State College of Education, Lanlate; and Adeseun Ogundoyin Polytechnic, Eruwa recently after its emergency meeting, ordered all workers of the institutions to embark on industrial action.
The JAC, in a communique which was signed by its chairman, Mr Oyewumi Olusegun, faulted the state government over the poor state of education in the state, especially regarding the alleged tyrannical operation of Platinum Consultant.
They, therefore, asked Makinde to revert to the former policies.
Speaking at the protest ground on Tuesday, a student leader, Sola Adeyemo, said the state government must immediately address the challenges facing students in higher institutions.
He said, "Our structures are dilapidated. No drugs in our health centres while we pay huge amounts of money. Our lecturers have abandoned us because they are not well renumerated. No facility is available in almost all the schools. As we speak, the Platinum Consultant overseeing our schools is there for its selfish interest while many idle politicians are feeding fat to the detriment of poor students.
"The state government must do something now. Even as terrible as Ajimobi was, his time was better compared to what we have today."