Date: 2017-01-20

The Management of the University of Ilorin and Road Transport Association of Nigeria have agreed that more commercial buses will be provided to meet needs of the growing population of students.

The institution and the association reached the agreement at a meeting in Ilorin on Wednesday.

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Management Services), Prof Yisa AbdulKareem, represented the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. AbdulGaniyu Ambali, at the meeting.

The institution and the association resolved to sanction any transport worker that flout the laws guiding their operation within and outside the campus.

It resolved that traffic warders be deployed to specific locations to allow for free-flow of traffic to motivate the drivers.

They also stressed the need to deploy more security personnel to parks during rush hours as well as transport management committee to enforce the rules guiding the transporters and sanctioning offenders.

The meeting also said that all commercial vehicles would numbered and brought for inspection before the commencement of the next session.

The Chairman of the University Transport Committee, Mr Michael Abisoye, said that the aim of the meeting was to deliberate on ways to make the students have a stress-free transportation to and from the campus.

"This also involves checking the operations of the transport providers in order to curb the vices that may have been threatening the safety of the students and the peace enjoyed on campus," Abisoye said.

Abisoye, who is also the Deputy Director of the Department of Works, disclosed that the committee had received complaint of speeding, excessive fare and poor treatment of the students by some transporters.

He stressed that these negative treatment of student must stop in order to ensure the safety of the students within and outside the campus and also for the sustenance of the peace enjoyed on campus.

AbdulKareem noted that the University has provided the people with the opportunity to make money by contracting the transport service out.

"We are here because of the students and we must look for ways to ensure their comfort and safety; we don't want laws guiding the transport workers to be flouted," he said.

The Road Transport Association of Nigeria promised to improve upon the current transport service provided to the students by bringing in more vehicles to serve them.

"We will work more to ensure that lost items of the students are recovered and also, we will designate people to specific points in order to regulate the activities of the bus drivers."