Kwara State government has commenced free transport scheme for students and members of staff of some tertiary institutions to cushion the effects of fuel and currency scarcity.

The government had last Thursday announced plans to make available buses at designated motor parks to convey the students and staff along specific routes down to their campuses.

The special assistant to the governor on students' affairs, Hon Bello Mubarak, who supervised the exercise across the designated motor parks in Ilorin, said the free bus ride was considered necessary by the government to ease the suffering of students of the affected campuses amid the difficulty imposed by scarcity of fuel.

He said the governor, after receiving complaints of the students' unions' leaders, deemed it fit to come to their aid by conveying them to campuses free of charge.

“As you can see, students are getting into the buses to go to schools for their daily studies. Some of them are having exams including the post UTME. The Executive Governor of Kwara State, in his magnanimity, gave a directive for free bus ride from various areas to campuses, to alleviate the suffering of students and staff of those schools, due to the scarcity of fuel and cash, “ he told newsmen at Unilorin bus terminus in Tanke.

“The days to carry out the exercise will continue as long as the directive lapses. We don't have a directive to stop it any time soon. We will continue as it is. It is cost-free for the students and staff of those schools,” he said.

Some of the benefitting students, who spoke to journalists at various points, appreciated the state government for being responsive and sensitive to their plights.

A student of University of Ilorin, Suleiman Mubarak Olanrewaju said the initiative came in handy for them, and commended the government for its timely intervention.

“Yes, there is government's intervention buses all over here. I think we have four of Soludero buses. Everything here is free. It comes in handy for us because this place is always messy. For us to see Soludero buses here and they are even free, we thank the government for the palliatives, “ he said.

An executive member of National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Kwara State axis, Comrade Olooto Abdulhakeem, also lauded AbdulRazaq for acceding to their request, noting that the gesture will go a long way in ameliorating their difficulty in getting to and coming from their respective campuses.