By: Saidu Jalloh
In what still remains a long-existing problem on Fourah Bay College campus, FBC students have fumed with regards the transportation constraints they face on a daily basis especially when college has resumed.
In a vox prop conducted on Monday 13th January 2023, Jonathan Quee, a final year student lamented that transportation constraints on FBC campus is alarming, with the limited motorcycles and taxis plying the university.
He said, “We queue for hours to board a bus to and fro campus because we have only one bus. The Students Union Government needs to be structured and they should lay emphasis on the welfare of students.”
Fourah Bay College is the oldest University in the Sub-Saharan Africa, established in 1827. The University, located on Mount Aureole, Freetown, has a narrow bumpy road that strikes through its heart.
Esther Susanette Bassie, is a third year student, who said that transportation constraints have been a huge challenge since she was admitted in 2021, adding that some students missed classes due to the endless queue to board vehicles.
Some students have also accused the Students Union body of misappropriating funds raised from the transportation fares they collect from the single bus.
In response to the troubling concerns raised by students, the Minister of Transportation-Student Union government, Abdul Ibrahim Sesay, staunchly denied the accusations, stating that the monies collected are used to maintenance the bus.
“At the moment, I cannot boast of anything really good in terms of transportation. We’ve about three buses parked which need to be repaired,” he said.
He said that there have been series of engagement with the administration to provide more buses for student, mainly to quell the transportation constraints.
While students are still fuming over the transportation struggles on campus, he revealed that the university administration has secured another 32-seater bus for students which will start to operate next month.
However, the provision of two buses, according to Umar Kanu, a final year student, cannot entirely mitigate the transportation constraints they face on a daily basis.
“An institution like FBC shouldn’t be constrained with transportation,” he opined.