The ever busy campus of the University of Ilorin which was usually beehive of academic activities has lately recorded low turnout of students to lectures due to the prevailing fuel scarcity.

Even as the institution begins its end of session examinations this month, most lecture rooms do not attract the usual large number of students owing to the hike in transportation cost and the low turnout of the campus shuttles to convey the students to the university. At the university bus terminus, a commercial driver who identified himself as Sanni, described the situation as "man's inhumanity to fellow man", saying most petroleum stations in Ilorin started hoarding the product even before the scarcity became a national issue.

"I spent over N5,000 to purchase 30 litres of fuel. The queue was so long that I had to pay my way to get the fuel early enough," he said. Another driver at the university's motor park who does not want his name in print described the situation as 'battle of the fittest where only the strong comes out victorious'.

He lamented that most petroleum stations abruptly closed, refusing to sell or entertain any form of queues around them, while those that sold their product did so at exorbitant prices of between N140, N250 per litre.

"This issue has since reached its peak with no obvious action to curtail it," he said. Meanwhile, along the university road, students were seen stranded as they could hardly find vehicles to convey them to the campus, while the university's transit buses have to travel more rounds in and out of the campus. Sanni Sekinat, 100 level Biochemistry students of the university, nursed fear that the situation might remain unresolved if not checked.

She said: "The suffering is becoming more unbearable for students especially those of us living in town that have early morning classes to catch up with. Now, I have to wake up as early as 5a.m in the morning so as to meet the early morning bus. This is quite stressful to me."

Olawale is a 300 Level History student at University of Ilorin