The ever busy Ife-Ibadan express road was blocked again yesterday, as students of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Ile-Ife, Osun state led other students in protest against the ongoing impasse between Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).
The protest resumed as early as 7am with students blocking the highway around Oduduwa University thereby creating gridlock inward and outward of Ile-Ife.
The gridlock as at 12noon extended to Gbogan on the highway with motorists traveling towards, Ife-Ilesa-Akure held in the gridlock.
Chairman, Nigeria Association of University Students (NAUS), Eruobami Ayobami while speaking with Vanguard said the protest would be a daily routine untill the FG finds a common ground with the academic union towards funding university education appropriately.
The students created barricade on the highway using used tyres and human shield while some of their leaders addressed motorists and passersby.
Also, a source confirmed to Saturday Vanguard that hundreds of travellers passing through Ife to other parts of the South-West, South-South and northern parts of the country were forced to divert to other routes.
The students also located some of the adjoining routes such as Ipetomodu and blocked them.
Meanwhile, the Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdulrosheed Adewale Akanbi has stressed the need for the warring factions to allow reputable traditional rulers mediate in the crisis in a bid to find resolution to it.
Oluwo in a statement issued by his media aide, Alli Ibrahim yesterday, stated that the recurring strike in the sector posed threat not only to the academic excellence but also to the economic and political strength of the nation.
