About 400 graduates of the All-State College of Education, Ero, Ondo State, staged a protest on Monday over the institution’s failure to mobilise them for the National Youth Service National Corps, NYSC.
The college is affiliated to Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, AAUA, in the Akoko South-West area of the state.
Academic activities were shut down as the Proprietor of the institution, Fasua Oyeleye, was held up in his office for over six hours.
Oyeleye was later rescued by police detectives who were invited by the management of the institution
The protesting students barricaded the highway and insisted on a refund of their tuition fees for five years because the institution failed to mobilise them for NYSC.
Speaking with newsmen, the President of the institution’s Students Union Government, Olusola Gbenga, said: ”400 graduates are waiting to be mobilised. We now have two sets of graduates waiting to be mobilised. We protested because our school name was not on the portal of AAUA.
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“The VC, who was then the DVC, had promised us that we would go for the NYSC programme.
“What is the purpose of going to school without NYSC? We will continue the protest until we are sure of our fate.”
When contacted, the Students Affairs Officer of the institution, Samuel Adebayo, said the school proprietor was whisked away by security operatives to avoid an attack by the students.
Adebayo said: “Mr Fasua believed the students will go for NYSC after graduation. He is helpless in this matter.
“The students shut down all academic activities. They now want their money refunded. The AAUA management should come out to clear the air on the fate of the students.”
Also speaking, the spokesperson for the University, Victor Akinpelumi, described the allegation as a fallacy.
Akinpelumi said: “The allegation is not correct. It is a fallacy. I will advise that the students channel their grievances to the Proprietor/ Registrar of Ero College of Education, Ero, for proper guidance.”