The management of Obafemi Awolowo University has cautioned the institution’s students’ union over its decision to stage a protest over the lingering transportation crisis affecting students.

Abiodun Olarewaju, the school’s spokesman, in a statement on Monday, said the university, before introducing its new campus transportation system, “ensured that all relevant perspectives were carefully considered” and its decisions “jointly taken in the overall interest of safety, efficiency and sustainability”.

The institution described recent complaints by some students about long queues in the mornings and evenings as “surprising”.

“It is also pertinent to note that queuing during rush hours is a common and organised practice in major cities across Nigeria and beyond, where it serves as a structured and fair means of managing high passenger demand,” Mr Olarewaju said. “The introduction of this system within the university is, therefore, in line with globally accepted standards aimed at ensuring orderliness, safety and equitable access to transportation services.”

The vice-chancellor, Simeon Bamire, directed that five 36-seater buses and one 88-seater luxury bus in the university’s transport department be made operational during peak hours to ease the current inconvenience, according to the statement.

The management urged students to exercise patience and refuse to be misled or used by individuals or groups with vested interests seeking to exploit the transportation crisis for ulterior motives.