OAU Management Shutdown School Indefinitely

The prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University has been indefinitely shutdown by authority of the school as students of the University protest over the death of their colleague, Aishat Adesina, from Foreign Language Department.

Allegedly, the death of Adesina in a private hospital after the University hospital refused to attend to her prompted the protest.

Sources from the campus revealed that she was rushed to the school’s medical facility on Thursday by her friends because she had earlier complained of shortness of breath to them.

“On getting to the clinic, she administered with malaria drugs and ulcer medication based on her complaints.

“She was later taken to Seventh Day Adventist Hospital, Ile-Ife without the necessary referral letter from the OAU Health Centre and she was pronounced dead at the probate hospital”, the source added.

Students also alleged that she had allegedly given up the ghost at the OAU Health Centre which made them pretend in order for an ambulance not to be released for the conveyance of her corpse.

This according to the students account, made them come out en-masse to protest the negligence on the part of the Prof. Eyitope Ogunbodede led OAU management.

“This negligence on the part of the management and health workers have cost the life of the deceased”, the students claimed.

In another development, the University management in a release by the Public Relations Officer of the University, Abiodun Olarewaju said the management ordered the closure of the school until further notice.

According to the statement, “On Tuesday, 28th September, 2021 ADESINA Omowumi Aishat, a 24-year old, female, Part 4 student of the Department of Foreign Languages reported to the Health Centre with signs and symptoms of a severe infection. She was promptly treated with some drugs prescribed and asked to report back as an out-patient. She reported back to the Health Centre in the morning of Thursday, 30th September, 2021. Upon examination, she was referred to the Seventh Day Adventist Hospital for further management where she regrettably died on Thursday 30th September, 2021.

“A release by the Public Relations Officer of the University, Abiodun Olarewaju, stated that the Management understands the grief resulting from this untimely death within the community and sympathises with the parents, friends, colleagues and the entire students of the University on this sad loss, and prays for the repose of her soul.

“However, Management condemns in strong terms the continuous and uncontrolled protests by the students culminating in unbridled brigandage, blocking the Ife/Ibadan and Ife/Ede highways and other adjoining roads that could be used as alternative routes, and engaging in other acts that are detrimental to their health and the safety of the generality of the people.

“Therefore, having exhausted all necessary avenues to call the students to order and allow normalcy to return to the Campus and its environs, the authorities of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, have accordingly closed down the School until further notice. This is to forestall further breakdown of law and order.

“In view of this, all students are hereby directed to vacate their halls of residence and the Campus latest by 12:00 noon on Saturday, 2nd October, 2021.

“Consequently, the swearing-in of the newly elected Students’ Union officials has been put on hold, pending a review of the situation.

“In the meantime, the University management has put in place the machinery to unravel the circumstances surrounding the immediate and remote cause(s) of the crisis”, the statement added.