Some students of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta on Friday barricaded the main entrance of the school while protesting the failure of the management to mobilise them for the one-year mandatory National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

The students who stormed the polytechnic as early as 8 am said the management was not doing anything to ensure they were mobilised for the next batch of the NYSC.

The graduates did not believe the delay might be as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing that other higher institutions had mobilised their colleagues for the exercise.

Carrying placards with various inscriptions, the graduates chanted repeatedly, “All we are saying, we want to serve”, “Let us go, we are tired,” among others.

DAILY POST reports that there was a heavy presence of policemen and other local security agents at the venue to forestall breakdown of law and order.

Speaking on behalf of other protesters, Adeniyi Marcus, who graduated from the Department of Microbiology in 2019, said, “We are not here to cause any havoc. We are only here to fight for our rights. We graduated since 2019, this is 2021, yet we have not been mobilised for NYSC. Our colleagues who graduated the same time in other schools are done with the NYSC.

“The NYSC portal was opened on March 3, we thought our names were already there. We tried to register, but they said we should visit our school. The school management should let us go. They should mobilise the available ones.”

Also, Deborah Ajagbe of the Department of Business Administration said, The delay was not as a result of coronavirus; MAPOLY has always been like that.”

Reacting, the Acting Rector of the polytechnic, Dr Adeoye Odedeji, assured the protesters that those who have fully done their documentation would be mobilised today.

While addressing them, he said: “Those who have fully documented themselves, they are being mobilised now. We have also made contacts with the NYSC that we should make available the list today so that those categories of students that have concluded their profiling will be mobilised. That’s the assurance. I want you to be assured for now that what you want is happening.

“We are interested in mobilising you. That’s why your results are ready. You know there was COVID-19. Everybody will be mobilised,” the Acting Rector assured.

But the students said they would not leave the school gate until they start seeing their names on the NYSC portal.

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