According to the SUG, the continued use of the Polytechnic premises as an NYSC orientation camp, occasioned by security challenges in the state, has come at what students describe as a painful and unacceptable cost.
Students of Kwara State Polytechnic have renewed calls for the immediate and permanent discontinuation of the use of the school as a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp, following disruption of academic life, and a violent security response to a peaceful protest.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, the President of the Students’ Union Government (SUG), Comrade Maruf Ibrahim, said the situation confronting students had gone beyond administrative inconvenience and had become a grave human and welfare crisis.
“Today, we speak with heavy hearts but clear conviction,” Ibrahim said. “We are students, young Nigerians, who came to Kwara State Polytechnic to learn, grow, and prepare for our future. What we are experiencing now is not just an administrative issue; it is a human one. Our studies have been disrupted, our accommodation taken away, our safety threatened, and our voices ignored.”
According to the SUG, the continued use of the Polytechnic premises as an NYSC orientation camp, occasioned by security challenges in the state, has come at what students describe as a painful and unacceptable cost.
He lamented that hostels paid for by students were taken over, academic activities disrupted, sports and campus life halted, and many students suddenly left without shelter or clear alternatives.
The union stressed that the struggle is neither political nor sponsored by any external interests.
“Let us be clear from the outset: this struggle is not political, sponsored, or manipulated by any external force,” Ibrahim said. “It is the genuine cry of students defending their welfare, dignity, and right to education.”
The SUG traced the crisis back several months, noting that while students recognise the importance of the NYSC scheme to national unity, the lack of planning and consultation had turned the Polytechnic into a place of uncertainty and hardship.
On December 8, 2025, the Students’ Union Government formally wrote to the Polytechnic management, respectfully outlining the challenges posed by the takeover of student facilities for NYSC use.
In the letter, students appealed for understanding, proper planning, and above all, the prioritisation of student welfare.
“No response came,” the SUG said.
Again, on January 18, 2026, during a meeting involving the Polytechnic management, NYSC officials and the Ministry of Youth Development, the students raised fresh concerns.
They warned that students would be forced out of hostels they had already paid for, that academic activities would be thrown into confusion, and that many students, far from home and without financial means, would be stranded.
Despite these warnings, a memo was later issued declaring a three-week holiday, effectively compelling students to vacate the campus without support, preparation, or adequate consideration for their safety.
On January 19, 2026, the SUG said it appealed for calm among students and chose dialogue over confrontation.
Letters were sent to all relevant authorities, with what the union described as simple, humane demands: that students in hostels be allowed to remain on campus, that their belongings be protected, and that the use of Kwara State Polytechnic as an NYSC orientation camp should end after the current batch.
“These appeals were ignored,” Ibrahim said.
With no response from authorities and no assurances of protection, students organised a peaceful demonstration, which they insist was not aimed at causing trouble but at making their voices heard.
According to the SUG, the protest was met with what it described as an excessive and violent response. Security operatives reportedly entered the campus with armoured vehicles, fired tear gas, and forcefully evacuated hostels.
Students and staff were injured in the process, and even the Students’ Union building was not spared.
“This use of force against unarmed students was unnecessary and deeply painful,” Ibrahim said. “Students did not choose violence. Students chose dialogue. Students chose peace.”
Reiterating the union’s position, the SUG stressed that students are not opposed to the NYSC programme and should not be treated as criminals for demanding basic rights.
“Students are not enemies of the NYSC programme,” Ibrahim said. “Students are not criminals for demanding shelter, safety, and education. Students deserve to be consulted, protected, and respected.”
The union therefore demanded the immediate and permanent discontinuation of the use of Kwara State Polytechnic as an NYSC orientation camp, arguing that the campus is a place of learning and is neither designed nor funded to serve as a permanent substitute for a purpose-built orientation facility, especially at the expense of students.
The Students’ Union called on key national institutions to intervene urgently to prevent further escalation and future occurrences.
These include the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, the Director-General of the NYSC, the Inspector-General of Police, the Department of State Services (DSS), the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), the National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS), and the management of Kwara State Polytechnic.
“Your intervention is needed now, not after more students are displaced, injured, or silenced,” the SUG said. “Peace cannot exist where students are ignored. Stability cannot be built on suffering.”
According to the union, Nigerian campuses must remain safe spaces for learning, not zones of fear and uncertainty.
“Students are the future of this country, and how we are treated today reflects the Nigeria we are building tomorrow,” Ibrahim said.
The SUG commended the students of Kwara State Polytechnic for standing firm, choosing peace, and speaking up for those affected, insisting that the struggle is about dignity, fairness, and responsibility.
“We remain open to dialogue. We remain committed to peace. But we will not be silent while student welfare is trampled,” he added.
“Solidarity forever. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”