Adamawa poly students protest over blackout, lack of water

Students of Adamawa State Polytechnic went wild Monday, protesting days of a blackout that also meant a lack of water.

The male and female students in hostels on the main campus in Yola staged the protest, condemning the lack of power and water, which they said they had endured for over a week.

The students, wielding sticks and green leaves, also complained about a lack of access to the management to lay their complaints.

The students gathered in front of the main gate of the polytechnic, which lies by the major road linking Jimeta, headquarters of Yola North LGA, with Yola Town, headquarters of Yola South LGA.

Apart from holding vehicular traffic off the main road and a brief period when the protest threatened to turn violent with some students throwing stones and police operatives having to use tear gas, the protest was peaceful, with no known case by press time of anyone being hurt or school facilities being damaged.

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Students who volunteered comments on condition of anonymity indicated that although electricity and water constituted the immediate cause of the protest, there were other issues.

They said the students have a near-zero relationship with the management as there is no Students Union government and therefore no student representatives to speak for the students.

They added that besides the lack of power and water, which made life on campus difficult, the hostels are poorly furnished with insufficient fans and toilet facilities.

Rector of the Polytechnic, Professor Mohammed Toungos, who had to leave the campus at a point during the protest and who spoke on the phone regarding the crisis, said he would shortly be meeting other management officials to decide on the way forward before giving a comprehensive response.

Newspot observed, however, that electricity was restored to the main campus just as the students were calming down around 11 a.m. Monday.