The Commissioner of Police, Ogun State Command, Dr Lanre Ogunlowo, on Monday , May 5, appealed to members of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) to be calm, as they staged a peaceful protest on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The protest, according to the NANS members, was to express frustration over their inability to access the Federal Government’s student loan scheme.
Thenewsbearer learnt that the demonstrators barricaded the expressway, causing temporary disruption to vehicular movement.
Their primary grievances were said to have included lack of transparency and accountability in the disbursement of the Federal Government Tertiary Education Trust Fund meant for student loans.
The protesters also decried the rising cost of tuition and called for improvements in learning conditions and facilities across tertiary institutions.
Responding to the protesters’ grievances, CP Ogunlowo, in a statement by the Command’s spokeswoman, CSP Omolola Odutola, urged NANS leadership to reopen the expressway for normal traffic flow, assuring them that their concerns would be urgently communicated to relevant authorities.
“Following the rapport and reassurances, the students called off the protest and moved to State Command Headquarters at Eleweran, Abeokuta, for a meeting with the Commissioner of Police on student advocacy through structured channels,” the PPRO stated.
She added that there was no reported violence during the protest.
