The protesters barricaded the school entrance and demanded the provision of basic amenities.
Students of the Ondo State College of Health Technology protested on Monday over poor learning facilities and alleged extortion by the school management.
The protesters barricaded the school entrance and demanded the provision of basic amenities.
Some of the learners displayed placards with inscriptions such as “We Are Tired of This Wickedness” and “Health Tech With Poor Environment.”
Other inscriptions read: “Stop Extortion Now” and “No Solution, No Exams.” The students also lit bonfires, chanted solidarity songs and said they may disrupt academic activities.
One of the protesting students said the management neglected to provide portable water, an internal road network, and a stable power supply.
She said the situation had become unbearable as students also struggled with the country’s economic realities.
Ibiroke claimed the school management continued to impose “unnecessary levies” on students and alleged that the school authorities were encouraging some lecturers to demand money from students for textbooks and assignments.
“As I speak with you, there are no basic amenities in this college. There is no water or steady electricity. The classrooms are dilapidated, there are no functional laboratories and no hostels, yet the management keeps demanding money from us without considering our struggling parents,” she said.
A staff member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the authorities should have prioritised students’ welfare.
“What the students are demanding is reasonable and aimed at improving campus life. The management ought to have listened to them earlier,” the staff member said.
“The state government cannot be absolved of blame because it controls about 80 per cent of the policies here. I am confident that the students will eventually be invited for dialogue.”
Emoruwa Oluwanbe, the rector of the institution, denied the allegations levelled against the management.
However, Oluwanbe said the Ondo State government had convened a meeting about the situation, and the management would issue a comprehensive response at a later time.
The students said the protest would continue until their demands were addressed.