Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi has provided free buses for students of tertiary schools travelling out of the state following the closure of their schools to avert the spread of coronavirus.

Fayemi had on Sunday given the directive that transportation assistance be provided for students of higher institutions in the state travelling out of the state to ease their plight.

The governor also directed that the students be provided with hand sanitizers in the course of the journey.

The first batch of the students were ferried to their respective destinations on Monday, while the second batch were conveyed on Tuesday.

The President, Students’ Union Government of Ekiti State University, Mr Oluwaseyi Gbadero, who described the gesture as timely, said that it would mitigate the challenges faced by students who were travelling home in their hundreds.

Gbadero, who said the gesture came to them as rescue at a time it was least expected, lamented that some transporters had taken undue advantage of the huge number of students travelling home to hike fares.

Also, a student of the Federal University, Oye Ekiti, Miss Victoria Jegede, who praised the state government for coming to their aid, said,

“The government had thought it well to make provision for buses that would convey students free from the state capital to their various destinations.”

Jegede, who is also a beneficiary, said it was a surprise that the price of transport fare from Ado to Lagos was suddenly increased to N4,000 making it difficult for her and some of her fellow students to leave immediately the directive was given.

The Special Assistant to the Governor on Student Matters, Mr Moses Ademiloye, said the free bus initiative was at the instance of Governor Fayemi who observed that the closure of tertiary institutions as a result of coronavirus was making it difficult for students to transport themselves back to their destinations.

Ademiloye said that the governor was not only providing free buses for them but also procured sanitizers for each of the students that would be boarding the vehicle, adding that the students were also sensitized on personal hygiene and measures on how to curb the spread of the virus.