EDITORIAl: Ending students transportation problems?

‎In furtherance to our last editorial, we have decided to bring the public and the concerned stakeholders to issues that have sprung up concerning the transportation system in MAPOLY. We believe more can be done particularly from sides of drivers of commercial buses, cabs and taxis.

It is a known fact that different means have been devised to solve transportation problems faced by students of the institution in times past.

Part of these means include; procurement of additional luxury buses, procurement of tricycles to ease intra-campus transportation, and addition of shuttle buses on campus.

However, the scourge left by this problems should not be left unattended to. It is worrying to see students of the institution scrambling for buses, cabs and taxis at Panseke every morning during the prime time (7:30 – 8:30am).

Students do turn a three-lane road to two-lane and sometimes one-lane causing heavy gridlock on the ever-busy Panseke road.

Press Club reliably gathered that these vehicles, in a bid to accrue more money especially during this prime time jettison stops at the traffic lights at Ibara bridge, and the battle for passengers with the luxury buses for passengers at Iyana Oluwo, Oluwo and Onikolobo.

These drivers believe they have left the students for the luxury buses that can’t service all of the students. And also to make more money leaving the students at the receiving end. This is because the vehicles are not segmented. All drivers take students/passengers from wherever they want/wish without recourse for the students.

This situation is affecting the students because the institution which has been existing for about 37 years has been running its operations without halls of residence, it has left students of the institution with no other option other than to reside outside the walls of the polytechnic.

It should also be noted that this embarrassing situation has been telling on the reputation of the school even before it publics. 

However, to ensure that the effort of the present Rector Professor Oludele Itiola in repositioning the institution and make it meet up even with international standards‎ is not rendered useless, the issue of transportation must not be taken with levity. 

Since, we have found ourselves in this situation for an acclaimed reason of developing the area with the institution hereby tactically leaving the students with no other option other than to live in the off-campus, the students should also be put into consideration.

Hence, as a media organisation on campus, we urge the authorities to quickly see to the matter of transportation on campus and find a lasting solution to the lingering challenge. Hence, the management should expedite actions on the proposed construction of halls of residence on campus. 

On the immediate, we urged the transporters divide themselves into the available notable locations where students are mostly found – Panseke and Oluwo – thereby giving all students equal opportunities of getting buses to and from campus.

The arrangement can be such that those who take students at Panseke this week will take same at Oluwo the following week, in order to ensure equal distribution of these buses and to kill partiality.

It should also be noted that strict measures should be applied to enforce this arrangement if considered to ensure compliance by the drivers of these buses.

We also urge the management who has claimed that the campus shuttle system is out of their purview to liaise with these transporters since their students are concerned. They should move to assist these students achieve their academic  on campus.