Heartbreaking Report: 12 Ojukwu University Students Die In Avoidable Road Tragedies

The Acting Vice Chancellor of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU), Prof. Kate Omenugha, has revealed that 12 students from the institution...CONTINUE READING…

lost their lives in road accidents over the past 10 months.

Prof. Omenugha attributed these fatalities to the lack of residential hostels and school buses, forcing students to rely on tricycles and motorcycles for transport between nearby communities and the university.

She made this statement during the third Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu Memorial Lecture at the university’s ETF Auditorium on Friday.

The Vice Chancellor expressed deep concern for the safety of students and called for urgent intervention to prevent further tragedies. She added, “As a mother, I feel terrified by these incidents. Since I took office 10 months ago, 12 students have tragically died in accidents involving tricycles and motorcycles on the roads connecting the university with surrounding communities.”

Omenugha urged well-off individuals in Anambra State and the public to support the university’s development, particularly in providing residential hostels to alleviate the need for dangerous transportation.

She praised the efforts of Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, through the Private Public Community Partnership initiative but emphasized that the state government alone could not solve these challenges.

At the event, the guest lecturer, former Minister of Aviation Chief Osita Chidoka, discussed the theme: “Harnessing Education for National Development: Lessons from the Life and Vision of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu.”

This comes after the university management considered a ban on motorcycles in November 2020 following the deaths of three female students in separate motorcycle accidents at the Igbariam campus.