Tension as Students Protest Denial Of NYSC Programme, Non-issuance Of Certificate

Academic and Non-academic activities were paralyse as students of Ibarapa Polytechnic, Eruwa, Oyo State on Tuesday protested non-participation in the one year National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) scheme and non-issuance of certificate two years after their graduation.

The students who cried out over denial to participate in the one year NYSC programme and non-issuance of certificate, trooped out to the streets to stage peaceful protest in the school campus to show their grievances to the school management.

Some offices were locked up by the protesting students and this partially paralysed the academic activities in the institution because most of the staff of the school could not have access to their offices.

One of the protesting student, Ademoyega Olaoluwa while narrating his ordeal said the issue on ground was that their department had not been accredited by the management of the institution, adding that this was the hindrance of their mobilisation for NYSC service year.

“We were here on a peaceful protest, to show our displeasure on state of our education, we are yet to be giving our admission letter two years after we have graduated, our certificate has not been issue to us, and we were yet to go for the NYSC due to the none accreditation of the course we studied when we were in school”.

Ademoyega explained that all efforts made by them to resolve the issue was proved abortive, adding that the management of the instruction is not sincere in their promise to find solution to the issue.

“We want the school management to accredit our course so that we can go for our service year, we are also calling on the Oyo State government to look into this issue and resolve it”.

The Oyo State president of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Comrade Moronkola Teslim while talking to journalist at Eruwa campus said that the students were on a peaceful protest to demand for their right which the management of the institution had denird them for the past two years, noting that NANS as a body was also behind the protest because it was part of the duties of NANS to listen to the cry of Nigerian Students.

Moronkola emphasised that the school management should address the issue by giving room for dialogue between them and the students, and the management should be sincere with their promise because they have failed on some promises they made two years ago

“We decided to join this protest because we want justice to prevail, the students had been denied of their right for two consecutive years, the school authority and the government of Oyo State should come to the aids of this students”.

While addressing protesters, the Deputy Rector of the institution, Dr. Peter Adejumo said that the students were making issues out of non- issue because accreditation of courses was a managerial function of the institution.

Adejumo explained that the school management are currently on top of the issue, noting that the rector of institution is currently in Kaduna to meet with the National Board of Technical Education (NBTE) concerning the issue of accreditation.

“In 2014, NBTE came to our institution for the validation of all our programs, 22 programs were validated and NBTE also came for resource inspection, there was deficiency in core engineering course which need to be upgraded and this was what led to the non -accreditation of the course”.

Adejumo pointed out that shortage of fund also responsible for the non -accreditation of the course, adding that the money coming to the school purse from the Oyo State government was not enough to take care of the institution.

“We did not have any issue with our National Diploma (ND) courses, is only some of our Higher National Diploma (HND) courses that we are having issue with, we are trying to source for fund through other means, so that we can resolve”.

When contacted on phone, the Public Relation Officer of the institution, Mr. Gbenga Olayiwola said the school in collaboration with the NBTE were currently on the situation and the issue will be resolved.