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The growing but subdued discontent with the eight years of misrule by the Governor Bukola Saraki administration in Kwara State has snowballed into a series of violent street protests in Illorin, the State capital.

Economic and social activities were paralysed for several hours on Wednesday,16th February in Ilorin, following a violent demonstration by youths who were protesting the abandoned construction work on the Olulande-Ita Iya Alamu-Offa Garage road. Several people including one policeman were seriously injured during the protest. The violent protest started as early as 6.30am by youths in the area, who barricaded major roads and link roads to the Offa Garage-Ajasse Ipo road with bricks and blocks. The angry youth also set up several bonfire along the road from Michael Imodu Labour Studies Institute junction up to Ola-Olu-Stella Obasanjo junction. The youth in their thousands were chanting anti government slogans like: “Kwara must be free”, “No to slavery by Saraki, Bukola and Gbemi”, “Leave our state now Saraki”, among others.

It took the anti-riot policemen several hours before they could restore order and normalcy to the road as several canister of tear gas were fired to disperse the protesters. Kwara state Fire Service were also brought in by the government to put out the bonfire and tyres set ablaze by the angry mob. One of the protesters, who spoke under condition of anonymity, explained that life had become unbearable for people living along the 2.5 kilometre road. Reacting to the incident, Bode Olayemi, the state commissioner for works and transport, told journalists that the road was a federal road being constructed by the state because of its concern for the people. He pointed out that the road was still ongoing and not an abandoned project as claimed by the protesting youths. Ezekiel Dabo, the police public relations officer for the Kwara Command, in his reaction urged the people of Kwara not to take laws into their hands as government was doing everything within its reach to fix the road

Meanwhile, the National Association of Kwara State Students (NAKSS) is planning a 10,000-man march over non-payment of its 2009/2010 bursary by the state government.

NAKSS had stormed Ilorin, the state capital, last week Monday, in protest over the unpaid bursary.

Twenty seven students were arrested and arraigned at a magistrate court.

They were charged with criminal conspiracy, intimidation and assault on public servants, mischief and disturbance of public peace.

An Ilorin magistrate court freed the student leaders on Monday.

National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) spokesman Bashir Ademola said the state’s students would protest until the bursary is paid.

He said: “Our bursary must be paid without delay, this is the solution to the present crisis.

‘’Today, lecturers of the colleges of Education in Oro, Lafiagi as well as the College of Arabic and Islamic studies are on strike.

“As the teachers went on strike, students are being induced by some politicians to be their thugs but we shall not accept such offers. They play politics desperately at the expense of the educational and social development of the state.

‘’This makes them give unfounded meaning to our genuine protest, saying we are being sponsored,” Ademola said.

Also, workers under the umbrella of Committee of Unions of Tertiary Institutions (CUTI), Kwara State chapter, has embarked on an indefinite strike.

The institutions are the College of Education, Oro, College of Education, Ilorin, College of Arabic and Islamic Legal Studies, Ilorin and College of Education (Technical) Lafiagi.

The union had given the state 14 days ultimatum, which expired last Thursday.

In a statement, CUTI Chairman and Secretary, Mallam Lamidi Muhammed and Mallam Amuda-Kannike AbdulKareem said they were protesting the non implementation of the Consolidated Polytechnics and Colleges of Educations Academic Staff Salary Structure (CONPCASS) and Consolidated Tertiary Education Institutions Salary Structure (CONTEDISS).