Despite the upgrade of facilities at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) hostels, some male students still prefer to live off-campus. INNOCENT EMMANUEL (200-Level Mass Communication) finds out why.
STUDENTS of the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) enjoy some benefits for staying on campus, yet some prefer to live outside. Such benefits are subsidised prices of commodities, security of lives and ease of movement. But many male students still prefer to reside off-campus. While female students are praising the management for maintaining facilities in the Halls of Residence, their male counterparts appear not bothered.
What is the reason for this? Chidiebere Kalu, a 200-Level student, said off-campus residences are “simply comfortable” for the boys.
Chidiebere, who resided in Alvan Ikoku Hostel during his first year, had, upon resumption for second year, decided to live off-campus. He said apart from dirtiness of his colleagues, students living in school hostels are faced with challenge of theft.
Another 200-Level student, Stanislaus Asogwa, who also resided in Alvan Ikoku Hostel, said: “Dirt and overcrowding of school hostel are my reasons for leaving. It affected me in my first year and I fell ill just when examination was about to commence.”
While boys are leaving, female students, however, feel comfortable staying in the school hostels. Ogochukwu Enoch, a final year student residing in Okeke Hall, a female hostel, praised the management for upgrading the facility. She said: “I lived in this place during my second year, the condition of the hostel was not as good as what we are witnessing now.”
Christiana Chijioke, who resides in Akintola Hall, said she felt secure on campus than anywhere in Nsukka. “Maximum security is guaranteed in the school. More so, the distance between my department and the hostel is not far. It is also cheaper to stay in school because we do not pay for water, electricity and other services. So, what am I going to do off-campus?” said Chijioke.
But some students complained that the male hostels are not well-maintained just like the female hostels. This, they argued, was among reasons the boys prefer living off-campus.
Ndifreke Ekanem and Kelechi Iwuanyawu, who could not get spaces in male hostels, said they were given temporary accommodation in the Akintola Hall, a female hostel. According to them, they enjoyed staying in female hostel because “facilities in the hostel are well-maintained”. They said they were disappointed when they learned of the living condition in the male hostels.
Joy Harrison, a final year female student in Awolowo Hall, dismissed the complaint, saying male hostels are unkempt because of squatting of many illegal occupants, a situation she said led the overuse of the facilities.
Linus Okechukwu, a 200-Level student, who lived in Alvan Ikoku Hall in his first year, agreed with Harrison, saying: “Boys are messing up the facilities every day. Newly-built bathrooms in Eni Njoku Hall have been turned to dumpsite by the occupants. This is a clear example of how boys can mess up facilities,” Linus said.
Festus Iyorah, a 200-Level student, who was in Mbanefo Hall during his first year, said cleaners maintaining male hostels always felt bad whenever there cleaned the hostels’ toilets because of the manner students make the facilities untidy.
Despite the excuses, there are some male students who prefer to live on campus. While many agreed that squatting is making living condition in the hostel worse, they argue that the squatters cannot be stopped from entering the hostels because of the high rent in off-campus residences.
The management was advised to divide rooms in the male hostels into corners as was done in female halls. Students said if rooms were divided into corners, a student bringing in a squatter would have to share his own corner with the squatter. The method, they said, would reduce number of squatters and messing up of the school hostels.
