By Kelvin Ololo
Final-year students of the University of Cross River State (UNICROSS), have shutdown Calabar, the capital of Cross River State in a sign out party.
At the popular Millennium park – the Eleven-Eleven Roundabout and heart of the city, transport operators and road users were caught in heavy traffic as students, family members, friends and well-wishers flooded the area in elation.
The students opted for the venue after the school Management banned all sign-out activities within the varsity environment to avoid any form of security threat.
For the students, the occasion marked the end of years of lectures, examinations, assignments and campus life, turning the usually busy park and surrounding roads into a meeting point for celebration and photographs.
Dressed largely in white T-shirts and jeans, the graduating students moved around the park with markers in hand, writing messages and signatures on one another’s shirts. Some danced and cheered, while others posed for photographs with friends and relatives who had come to share the milestone with them.
READ: UNICROSS Tightens Security Ahead Of Final Exams Amid Reports Of Gang Clash, Arrests
Sign-out is a popular graduation-related tradition among Nigerian undergraduates, during which final-year students mark the completion of their examinations and celebrate with friends, relatives and well-wishers.
The white shirts become keepsakes, covered with messages, signatures and drawings from colleagues and loved ones.
A student who spoke to this reporter confirmed management’s ban.
The student said the gathering at Millennium Park provided an alternative venue where the graduating students could celebrate together after completing their examinations.
Another student said the park was also attractive because of its environment, adding that students often choose the location for photographs and other social activities.
The student expressed appreciation for the new appearance of the park and said its environment provided a suitable backdrop for photographs marking the end of their undergraduate journey.
But while the graduates celebrated, the movement of other residents through the area became increasingly difficult.
Road users were seen struggling to navigate the surrounding roads as the gathering of students, vehicles and well-wishers added pressure to traffic around the Eleven-Eleven axis.
The situation presented two contrasting scenes: inside the park, graduating students danced, exchanged embraces and proudly displayed shirts covered in ink; outside, motorists and transport operators negotiated their way through the busy roads.
As the students continued their celebration at Millennium Park, the white shirts became a visible record of friendships and memories formed during their university years.
For many of them, however, the day was more than a party. It marked the moment they finally stepped away from the examination halls and began the uncertain transition from university students to graduates.
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