The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Prof. Isaac Adewole, has given a preliminary report from the investigation into the cause of the death which recently led to massive protests in the university.

The deceased student, Mayowa Alaran, a 200 level student of the Department of Health Education and Human Kinetics, Faculty of Education, slumped on May 6, 2015 in the Junior Common Room, Independence Hall during a UEFA Champions League match between FC. Bayern Munich and Barcelona FC and died even before he was conveyed to the university health centre. The VC said that the student’s death had nothing to do with negligence or inefficiency of the university’s Jaja clinic as alleged.

Speaking with newsmen on the school campus on May 13, 2015, the Vice Chancellor debunked the students claims. According to him: “He (Mayowa) carried out his normal activities earlier on Wednesday, May 6, 2015. Very early in the day, he attended the Gymnastics practical with other students in his Department (7.00 – 9.00 a.m.). He later went to attend the Induction Programme organized for fresh students in his department. He attempted to participate in a football match between his Department of Health Education and Human Kinetics and the Department of Library and Archival Studies (LARIS) in the afternoon, but could not due to the fact that he did not train with his department’s team.

“He thereafter returned to the faculty to attend a GES class that held between 4.00 – 6.00p.m. It was from here that he later returned to Independence Hall to watch a football match between Barcelona and Bayern Munich relayed in the Junior Common Room, JCR. The match started at 7.45 pm that evening.

“A generator was used to supply electricity to the JCR due to power outage that evening. The generator was placed about 50 meters away from the JCR. The student sat in the front row and was facing a non-rotating stan
ding fan in the JCR. At about 30 minutes into the football match, a student sitting next to him observed that he had slumped and was motionless.​The concerned student promptly carried him out of the JCR for resuscitation with the assistance of some medical students around who gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.

“The concerned student made a call to the University Health Centre requesting for an ambulance. ​After waiting for about 8 -10 minutes, the concerned student arranged for a private vehicle to convey the student to the University Health Centre.

“On the way, at Lander roundabout, the vehicle conveying the student met the ambulance which was sent to bring him by the Nurse-on-duty in response to the call.

“It should be noted that though, there was only one ambulance on duty that night, the case of the student was promptly attended to with appropriate priority. Two patients (staff dependants – one with a ruptured appendicitis and the other with femoral fracture) who were being taken to a private hospital – Molly Hospital, in the same ambulance, were disembarked to allow the ambulance pick the student from Independence Hall.

“At the time of moving the student from the vehicle into the University Health Centre, he showed no vital signs.

“The Nurse-on-duty promptly attended to the student and observed that vital signs were absent and continued resuscitation efforts.

“The Doctor-on-call promptly joined in the resuscitation efforts despite the absence of vital signs and later certified the student dead. This was also affirmed by the colleagues who soon joined in response to his invitation.

“After the certification of the death and in order to manage the growing tension and anxiety among the students, they were asked to go back to his room and look for any available information they could gather. This was a diversionary ploy to reduce the already growing population of students around the clinic, and not to break the news already communicated directly to the sympathizing students.”

Students of the university earlier staged various peaceful protests on the campus to register their grievances owing to the alleged negligence of the school’s clinic. According to them, the medical personnel on the ground refused to attend to the deceased because those who took him to the clinic could not produce his clinic card. They further added that when Mayowa slumped, students around called the university health centre to send ambulance over but they declined, stating that the only ambulance the centre had at that time had some mechanical issues.

The angry students in the course of the demonstration barricaded all entrances into the institution, and the expressway at Agbowo, thereby causing a gridlock as well as crippling academic activities while it lasted.

While addressing journalists, the SUG President, Femi Odesola corroborated the VC’s claim, saying Mayowa died before getting to the health centre, hence leading to a violent protest by students around him.

The students have, however, argued that[b] the SUG president usually betrays them when it comes to responding to the plights of the students.[/b]

Meanwhile, the students have stressed the need for the Vice Chancellor, Professor Isaac Adewole, to punish the staff who refused to attend to Mayowa, while demanding that, “ambulances be provided in all halls of residence as well as constant power supply.”

Source:[url] http://ivorytowerdigest.com/ui-students-death-vc-exonerates-school-clinic-from-negligence/[/url]