The Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Ondo State, has been plunged into mourning following the death of one of its students, Ayomide Akeredolu.
The tragic incident occured on Thursday evening when Ayomide reportedly collapsed in his hostel and subsequently passed away.
The news triggered a mini protest by fellow students, who raised concerns about the state of the institution’s health center, alleging that the incident exposed a lapse in the quality of healthcare services provided.
Addressing the situation, FUTA’s Director of Corporate Communications, Mr. Adegbenro Adebanjo, in a statement released on Friday, said the student had unfortunately already passed away before reaching the health center.
The statement read, “According to the doctor on duty, the (deceased) student was rushed to the health centre at about 8:50 pm on Thursday, August 24, 2023. He was brought in dead.”
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“He was brought in dead. efforts to resuscitate him through cardiopulmonary resuscitation and oxygen therapy proved abortive. He was subsequently taken to the UNIMED Teaching Hospital, Akure by the medical personnel on duty inside the university ambulance.
“Understandably, his friends and colleagues are devastated by the sad development. The management joins them to mourn at this very difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with our students and the bereaved family. May the Good Lord grant his soul eternal repose and give the family and friends the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.”
FUTA’s spokesman clarified that the protest arose from concerns about services at the university health center, which the students had identified as needing improvement. He stated that the protest was not directly related to the student’s death.
He added that the representatives of the students had met with the management and vice chancellor of the institution and pointed out some lacunas in the process of accessing services at the health centre.
“The management in the course of the meeting directed that immediate remedial measures be taken to address the lacuna and other issues raised by the students. The corrective measures will be reviewed from time to time to ensure that they are being implemented to the letter, and satisfaction of the students,” Adebanjo explained.
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During the protest, vehicular movement on the Akure-Ilesa expressway was significantly impacted, causing hours of gridlock and inconveniencing travelers.
One of the students told the PUNCH that “the student (Ayomide) had slumped while in his hostel (Akindeko Hall of Residence) and was rushed to the university health (a proposed university teaching hospital), due to the lack of basic amenities, he lost his life at the university clinic.”
Another student, who claimed to be one of those who rushed the deceased to the hospital, stated that “We rushed the guy to the health center around 8:30 pm, when we got there, there was power outage, and throughout the oxygen set up, CPR and injections they gave him, the light wasn’t restored, we had to use our flashlights, hard to believe that there’s no backup power supply in the hospital.”