Naira Crisis: Kwara Govt Flags Off Free Bus Service For Varsity, Polytechnic Students, Staff In Ilorin

Kwara state Government on Monday flagged off a free bus service for staff and students at tertiary institutions in the state noting that this was done in response to the current scarcity of petrol and new naira notes in the country and its concomitant hardships. .

It will be recalled that the state government had last week Thursday announced plans to make buses available at the designated motor parks to transport the students and staff along specific routes down to their campuses. 

Governor Abdulrazaq’s Special Assistant on Students Affairs, Hon. Bello Mubarak, who supervised the exercise at the designated motor parks in Ilorin, said the free bus ride was considered necessary by the government to ease the sufferings of students at tertiary institutions in the state.

He added that the Governor, after receiving complaints from leaders of students’ unions in the state, had felt it important to come to their aid by having them transported to their various campuses free of charge. 

‘As you can see, students are getting on the buses and leaving for their respective campuses. Some of them are having exams including the post- UTME. The Executive Governor of Kwara State, in his magnanimity, gave a directive for a free bus ride from various areas to the campuses, to alleviate the sufferings of staff and students at those schools, due to the scarcity of fuel and new naira notes’ he told newsmen including  Team@orientactualmags.com at  the Unilorin bus terminus in Tanke. 

‘This exercise will continue as long as the directive subsists. We don’t have a directive to stop it any time soon. We will continue with it. It is cost-free for the staff and students at tertiary institutions in the state’ he added.

Senior Special Assistant on Transport (Central), Hon. Orire Ibrahim, also noted that the programme was in response to ‘the reality on the ground and to save the students from missing their classes’..

‘We are here to supervise the government’s free bus service which will have  students  at Unilorin, Kwara Polytechnic and KWASU in Malete as beneficiaries. It is an important step taken by Governor AbdulRazaq to support the students ’ he said. 

‘Yes, there is government’s intervention buses all over here. I think we have four of Soludero buses. Everything here is free. It comes in handy for us because this place is always messy. For us to see Soludero buses here and they are even free, we thank the government for this’ Suleiman Mubarak Olanrewaju , a student at the  University of Ilorin and a  member of the School Transport Committee, said.

Comrade Imam Olooto Abdulhakeem, an executive member of  the National Association Nigerian Students (NANS), Kwara state axis, also lauded AbdulRazaq for acceding to their request, noting that the  kind gesture will go a long way in easing things for the students with regard to getting to and coming from their respective campuses while Abdulwahab AbdulHakeem also  said the free bus service  would save him from staying on campus for  seven straight days  rather than attending classes and returning  home daily. 

‘For me, I am very excited, because I used to stay around the campus for a whole week because of the transport problem, but with this arrangement from the government, I will be able to go and return home every day’ he said- Team@orientactualmags.com
Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08059100286, 09094171980. Thank you