Tension in Akure, the Ondo State capital as Students of the Ondo State College of Health Technology on Monday took to the streets to protest alleged extortion and the deplorable state of infrastructure in the institution.
The students, who gathered at the school’s main entrance in their hundreds, barricaded the gate and set tyres ablaze while chanting solidarity songs.
They vowed that no lecture or examination would take place until the management addressed what they described as years of neglect and exploitation.
Many of them displayed placards with inscriptions such as “We Are Tired of This Wickedness,” “Health Tech With Poor Environment,” “Stop Extortion Now,” and “No Solution, No Exams.”
Speaking with reporters, some of the protesters accused the school authorities of imposing what they called “unjustifiable charges” despite the poor state of classrooms, hostels, laboratories, and water supply.
They alleged that several appeals to the management had been ignored.
“We cannot continue like this. The environment is not fit for learning,” one of the students said. “Until they fix these problems, there will be no exams, no lectures.”
As of the time of filing this report, the protest was still ongoing, with academic activities completely paralysed.
