Hundreds of commuters and residents were left stranded on Tuesday morning as students of The Polytechnic, Ibadan, staged a protest against the proposed renaming of their institution by Governor Seyi Makinde.
The protest, which began in the early hours of the day, saw students block the main entrance of the institution as well as the ever-busy Sango–Eleyele Road, causing a major disruption to vehicular movement and daily activities in the area.
Governor Makinde had recently announced plans to rename the institution to Omololu Olunloyo Polytechnic, Ibadan, in honour of Dr. Omololu Olunloyo — the first Ibadan native to serve as governor of the old Oyo State. Olunloyo held office briefly between October and December 1983.
The announcement has sparked outrage among the student community, who say the renaming was done without proper consultation and undermines the institution’s legacy.
As a result of the protest, many staff members of the polytechnic were unable to gain entry into the campus, and traffic along the Sango–Eleyele axis was brought to a standstill, affecting commuters and travellers.
Security operatives were seen monitoring the situation, while efforts to restore normalcy were ongoing at the time of filing this report.
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