The Alpha Club of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) on Monday, April 21, 2026, provided free bus rides for students from the SUB bus stop to the campus gate and back, offering temporary relief as the institution’s transportation crisis enters the fourth week of the academic calendar. The transportation issue has significantly affected students of Obafemi Awolowo University, especially those who live off campus. Off-campus students faced challenges, including lateness and high transportation costs.
Alphite Ademuyiwa Emmanuel Adedayo, the Exchequer of The Alpha Club, while speaking with an InFocus correspondent, remarked that the new transport system could help curb reported cases of kidnapping. However, the management should provide more shuttle buses to relieve commuters from the transport stress.
Speaking on the processes involved in the organisation of the free bus ride initiative, Adedayo explained that permission was obtained from the Directorate of Students’ Affairs before going ahead. He added that there were no challenges in securing approval, noting that, ‘We only followed due protocols. Also, the school security officials were available to keep the situation from getting rowdy.’
Moreover, Alphite Adegbuyi Ayomakinwa, Deputy Lord Mayor of The Alpha Club, said the exact number of beneficiaries could not be determined, as the buses ran multiple trips in the mornings and evenings.
Adegbuyi disclosed that many students have sent in feedback, appreciating the club for its generosity and offering prayers. Adegbuyi informed InFocus that the free bus ride was the first programme on the itinerary for the Club’s charity week. The other projects are a blood drive, orphanage home visitation, Jummah service and church thanksgiving. These activities are organised to create awareness, encourage and promote charitable works among the staff, students, residents and visitors in the university community and the environs.
Rebecca, who benefited from the free bus ride, said, ‘I felt relieved because it reduced my transport cost by one hundred naira.’ Rebecca further commented that she appreciated the effort of The Alpha Club however, it would be better if the school and the transport management committee could find a long-lasting solution to the transportation issue.
The Alpha Club is a socio-cultural, philanthropic and charitable organisation, one of the oldest existing social clubs on the OAU campus. It was founded in 1968 to train young men into becoming respectable, disciplined and refined men.
While the initiative has provided temporary relief, students continue to call on university authorities to implement a lasting solution to the ongoing transportation challenges.