Students of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, have launched a 72-hour boycott of lectures in protest against what they describe as a chaotic and poorly executed overhaul of the campus transport system, centred on vehicles donated by Nigeria’s First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu.

The action, declared by the Students’ Union Government after a heated congress and follow-up meetings of its leadership, is intended as a total shutdown of academic activities. Union leaders say the boycott is a last resort after weeks of complaints over long queues, overcrowded buses and tricycles, and a sharp reduction in mobility options for tens of thousands of students.

In a statement signed by Students’ Union President Adelani David and Secretary-General Habeeb Oke, the union accused the university of forcing a “half-baked” transport model on the campus by restricting movement almost exclusively to the First Lady’s compressed natural gas buses and tricycles.

What was initially presented as a modern, cleaner and safer transport solution has, according to students, translated into daily hardship. They report insufficient vehicles to serve more than 35,000 students, long waiting times at major bus stops, and poor coverage of key academic and residential routes.

The situation is said to be particularly harsh for off-campus students, who now depend on fewer commercial operators and more expensive alternatives outside university control. Many complain of missing early-morning classes, arriving late for examinations and walking long distances at night when vehicles are unavailable.

Student leaders say they had repeatedly engaged the university management, which reportedly described the current arrangement as a “teething phase” and promised that more buses would be deployed in the coming months. However, the union insists that the immediate realities on the ground are untenable and demand urgent, not gradual, fixes.

Among the key demands are the rapid deployment of additional vehicles, a temporary return to the previous mixed transport system until the new fleet can cope with demand, and formal consultation with student representatives before any further policy changes.

The union is also pushing for a hybrid model that integrates the First Lady’s buses with regulated commercial operators, arguing that no single fleet can realistically meet the complex movement patterns on and around the vast campus.

Union leaders have warned that if management fails to respond decisively within the 72-hour window, the boycott could escalate into mass protests and broader disruption of university activities.