Kwara State Government has commenced free transport palliatives for students and staff of tertiary institutions in the state.
Governor of Kwara State Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq represented by the Special Assistant on Students Affairs, Bello Mubarak, while monitoring take of off the exercise in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.
Mr Mubarak said the free bus ride was considered necessary by the government to ease suffering of students of the affected campuses amid the difficulty imposed by scarcity of fuel.
He said the Governor Abdulrazaq, after receiving complaints of the students’ unions’ leaders, deemed it fit to come to their aid by conveying them to campuses free of charge.
Also speaking with Radio Nigeria, the Senior Special Assistant on Transport (Central), Hon. Orire Ibrahim, corroborated Mubarak that the programme was in response to the reality on ground and to save the students from missing their classes daily.
Some of the benefitting students, who spoke to Radio Nigeria at various points, appreciated the administration for being responsive and sensitive to the plights of the people.
Comrade Imam Olooto Abdulhakeem, an executive member of National Association of Nigeria Students (NANS), Kwara State Chapter, lauded the governor for acceding to their request, noting that the gesture would go a long way in ameliorating their difficulty in getting to and returning from their respective campuses.
Passengers were seen boarding the free long buses at Soludero motor parks at the post office to University of Ilorin, Kwara State University and Kwara polytechnic, among others.
Reporting by Lawrence Afolabi; editing by Julian Osamoto