Six students of the University of Lagos (Unilag), who allegedly gang-raped a 17-year-old female colleague, were on Wednesday granted reprieve by a Surulere Chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos.
They were released on a N6 million bail.
The accused are — Simeon Omowole, 18; Randy Chukka, 17; Samuel Oyefara, 18; Peter Adeboyega, 17; Chuka Chukwu, 19; and Peace Nwakanma, 18 (a female) — pleaded not guilty to a five-count charge bordering on conspiracy, rape and sexual harassment.
The prosecutor, Sgt. Anthonia Osayande, told the court that the offences were committed sometime in January at High-Rise, University of Lagos.
She alleged that that the accused with another man still at large conspired and raped a 17-year-old fellow student (name withheld).
Osayande said that Nwakanma, the only female among the accused persons, was the one that lured the girl to where she was raped.
“The six students sexually harassed the girl with video clips in order to intimidate her.
“They all had sexual intercourse with the 17-year-old without her consent,’’ she said.
The offences contravened Sections 137, 140, 260 (2), 264 and 411 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015 (revised).
The Chief Magistrate, Mrs A. Ipaye-Nwachukwu, granted the accused bail in the sum of N500, 000 each with two sureties each in like sum.
Ipaye said one of the sureties must be a blood relation of the accused, while the second surety should be a civil servant of not less than Grade Level 14.
She also directed the sureties to provide an evidence of tax payment to the Lagos State Government.
The magistrate adjourned the case to May 18 pending advice from the State Director of Public Prosecutions. (NAN)
Students from different tertiary institutions yesterday stormed the University of Lagos (UNILAG) over the rustication of 11 students of the school.
The mass protest was held under the platform of “Save UNILAG Coalition” comprising the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), the Alliance of Nigerian Students against Neoliberal Attacks (ANSWER), the Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED) Students Union Government (SUG), Education Rights Campaign (ERC), the Students and Youth Activist Support Initiative (SYASI), United Action for Democracy UAD, the Nigeria University Education Students Association (NUESA) and a host of other civil societies.
Yesterday’s early downpour did not deter the protesters.
Two of them were injured as the Sabo Police Division attempted to stop them from entering the school.
A protester, Seyi Daniels, said the police tried to stop the students with teargas and guns.
“Stopping students’ right is giving our nation false hope. Management has locked the school gate because of the protest. Students and commuters are stranded,” he said.
Lagos police command’s spokesman, Olarinde Famous-Cole, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), said they were not aware of any protest.
The Save Unilag Coalition Secretary, Juwon Sanyaolu, said the rusticated students were only expressing their feelings about the condition of the university hostel.
Sangolu said: “Between April 6 and 8 last year, UNILAG students protested bad welfare condition on the campus. Even a chicken cannot survive in that school hostel for a week and yet you put human beings there. You stock 20 of them despite paying N26,000 for accommodation fee in a rat hole you call a hostel. That was the condition these students protested against. Instead of listening to the demands of these students, they rusticated 11 of them and subsequently disbanded the students’ union. We cannot continue to run a university like a prison camp and expect a meaningful development. Therefore these students who are not criminals should be reinstated with immediate effect.
“Today, the condition of living is quite abysmal. It has not changed. The students are not protesting not because they are not in support, but because the management has forced them to signed an indemnity form. The form contains pages, paragraphs that do not only violate humanity but violate the constitution. On this note, we say the management should reverse the obnoxious policies and restore immediately a better condition of living in the university.
He added: “The management increased the accommodation fee of post-graduate students from N60,000 to N120,000. The students wrote a letter, demanding a review of the increment. The next thing the management did was to ask about 40 students to face a disciplinary panel. The government is not even paying the N18,000 minimum wage; they are owing our parents salaries, commodities are high, families can hardly boast of two square meal per day and yet you are increasing fee under this biting recession, how thoughtless can that be? You want to victimise them with a vindictive panel instead of reasoning with their demands. The panel that was set up should be disbanded. Our students should be granted freedom of speech.”
National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) Lagos chapter chairman Moses Adewale said the students union should be given freedom to operate.
“The management has chosen not to make these students valuable for themselves and their families. The condition of the students in the school is unfavourable. The students are being treated like kids forgetting that a tertiary institution is made up of adolescents and youths. The institution is beyond going to the classroom to receive lecture. Our students need to be socially involved. Having a union has nothing to do with politics. It is supposed to fight for the rights of our students. How could the UNILAG management just believe that they have the constituted authority to dissolve the union?”
Head of ERC, Lagos State University (LASU) chapter, Dhikrullahi Aasim Akorede, said: “We are here to fight against any form of victimisation in the educational sector. Our concern is that why should the management rusticate a student based on the article he wrote on social media. If at all they want justice to reign, they should sue him to court. That is an infringement on the right to expression. We are demanding they reinstate Femi Adeyeye and the 10 others. We were in the rain all through to make our demand. Two of our members were arrested because the victims of the struggle requested that we follow them in.”
Addressing the students, the Dean of Students Affairs Prof Ademola Adeleke said he would take their petition to the school management.
UNILAG Deputy Registrar, Information Unit, Mr Toyin Adebule, said “This is to inform the general public that the University of Lagos students are not protesting. The gathering outside the university gate consists of rusticated students and allies. They have challenged the university in court and the case has been struck out. Let me assure you that lectures are ongoing without any form of disruption.”
University of Lagos (UNILAG) students marked Valentine’s Day on February 14 at a seminar organised by the school to commemorate the event. RUTH AKERELE (400-Level Mass Communication) reports.
The University of Lagos (UNILAG) main auditorium was literally painted in red. Students in red dresses converged on the hall to commemorate Valentine’s Day last February 14.
The event, organised by the Students’ Affairs Division and Counselling Unit, was not a platform to engage in romance, but an avenue to counsel students on relationships and the risk of sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs), such as HIV/AIDS.
The event with the theme: The right way to love, was organised in partnership with the anti-AIDS Club and Jewels Foundation, a non-governmental organisation(NGO).
Dean of Students’ Affairs (DSA) Dr Karo Ogbinaka said the institution organised the event to re-define students’ social engagement on the campus. “We believe our relationship with students shouldn’t be about academics alone; we need to shape your social life to make you complete human being,” he said.
A keynote speaker, Mrs Olufunso Owasanoye, who spoke on Friendship, dating and courtship, outlined the criteria for fostering romantic and non-romantic relationships. She advised the participants not to engage in pre-marital intercourse while dating.
She said many youths have had their future ruined by instant pleasure derived from casual dating, adding that total abstinence from pre-marital intercourse would help the youth to attain the future they wanted.
The event featured discussions on courtship and HIV/AIDS, dance contest and free fashion training to lighten up the mood of the participants and create an atmosphere of fun.
Resource persons in the discussion panel included Dr Anita Okoro of Emotional Voice for Empowering Women and Children (EVEWC), Mrs Titiola Vivour-Adeniyi of the Lagos Ministry of Justice, and Mr Olayinka Omotola from the UNILAG Counselling Unit, among others.
Participants asked questions on friendships, relationships and social life.
Emotional questions were asked by some depressed students and victims of sexual abuse. The panelists, who took turns to advise students on they could overcome the situation, using real-life experiences.
Members of the anti-AIDS Club spiced it up with a drama presentation, which depicted a student who committed suicide because of HIV infection she got through rape. The drama was aimed at enlightening people who tested positive to the virus not to think of terminating their lives after HIV infection.
The drama made the participants to understand HIV victims could live their normal lives if they follow medical procedures.
Shedding more light on the issue, Dr Adedoyin Soyele told of people who tested positive to HIV, but got married and bore children free of the virus. She said victims could stay healthy for many years if they have proper counseling.
Assistant Registrar of the Counselling Unit Mr Olayinka Omotola revealed that several students had sought advice from the unit on violent relationships, rape and intercourse in the semester. This, he said, gave management the reason to organise the programme to reach out to many students who may be having similar issues.
“The Counselling Unit and Students’ Affairs Division thought it wise to organise this event to help students overcome the emotional effects of social vices,” Olayinka said.
The department of sociology, University of Lagos (UNILAG) has planned a number of activities to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
The events include: an awareness campaign by students of the department themed “Awakening the sociological imagination” holding today; a distinguished lecture by Prof Tade Aina on “Sociological and National Development” on March 16; a Roundtable by the alumni of the department themed “Sociology: Question of relevance and visibility” on June 27; and the UNILAG sociology at 50 conference with theme: “Sociology and National Development” scheduled for September 12-14.
The anniversary would climax with an Alumni Reunion and Award Ceremony by the Alumni/ Faculty themed “Unilag Sociology: Challenges and prospects” in September.
Head of the department Dr Olufunlayo Bammeke, said the programmes would highlight how Nigeria could solve her problems through sociology.
“The 50th anniversary celebration provides an appropriate platform to underscore the significance of sociology in addressing Nigeria’s development challenges, hence its theme: Sociology and National development,” she said.
Giving the history of the department, Dr Bammeke said that it was established in 1967, five years after the enabling act that established the university was promulgated, and took off under the leadership of Reverend Father J.B Schuyler as the first head.
Since then, the department has produced over 50,000 graduates, 1,500 post graduates and 4,000 diploma graduates in social development and administration.
Law students of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) have won the maiden sub-regional round of the Price Media Law Moot Court. The victory earned them a ticket to represent West Africa at the global challenge holding in the United Kingdom (UK). RUTH AKERELE (400-Level Mass Communication) reports.
The Faculty of Law of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) was literally litup by legal fireworks during the maiden regional contest of the Price Media Law More Court . The competition was held in collaboration with the Oxford University, United Kingdom.
The three-day contest was aimed at cultivating students’ interest in freedom of expression policies and engaging them in comparative research on the role of media and Information Technology (IT) in building a free society.
Eight schools, including UNILAG, the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, the University of Benin (UNIBEN), University of Ibadan (UI), the Lagos State University (LASU), the Benue State University (BSU) and the Empire African Institute Ghana, participated in the contest.
During the preliminary stages, Law students from participating schools competed against one another. UNILAG beat Empire African Institute Ghana in the final and will represent West Africa in London for the global challenge.
The judges’ panel for the final round comprised head of Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal, Honorable Justice Biobele Abraham Georgewill, chairman of Arbitration and Dispute Resolution Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Mr Olasupo Sasore (SAN), rights activist Mr Femi Falana (SAN), a human rights lawyer, Thiago Pinto, Mrs. Funke Aboyade (SAN), Titi Akinlawon (SAN) and the doyen of Mass Communication, Prof Ralph Akinfeleye.
The contestants examined a hypothetical case study of a multi-ethnic country called Amostra, which had an unstable political climate and witnessed violence days before its general elections. The government felt the unrest was instigated by a political blogger, Blenna Ballaya, residing in a nearby country called Seranto.
According to the case study, the blogger was recruited by a newspaper to give voice to columnists who usually write open letters to oppressors. Ballaya’s article accused the Prime Minister and Zasa ethnic group of corruption and violations against the Yona ethnic group, and called the elections a sham. The newspaper published the article in its print and online versions.
Ballaya’s article inspired an uprising, during which Zasa religious building was burnt down. The government arrested Ballaya and imprisoned him for stirring up protest that threatened the stability of the country. The development caused friction between Amostra and Ballaya’s country, Seranto.
The contestants acted as Ballaya’s defence and prosecuting counsel in the Universal Court of Free Expression.
The UNILAG team comprised Ekenimoh Ilamosi as lead speaker and Tobi Olowokure as supporting speaker. The Ghanaian institute’s team included Serwaa Agyemang-Bonsu as lead speaker and Russell Mensah as supporting speaker.
The UNILAG team, which was the defence counsel, maintained that the Amostra government’s action negated the universal freedom of expression. The team said the article only called for a peaceful protest, adding that it did not cause the uprising, which led to destruction of properties.
The team from the Empire African Institute in Ghana, which acted as prosecuting counsel, said Ballaya was tried lawfully and found guilty.
Both teams listed points of law to argue their cases and they were judged based on the depth in sighting international laws and cases that helped to justify their claims. The decision of the judges’ panel was not based on the aim to win the case, but on how knowledgeable was each team on the media law and policies of freedom of expression.
At the end of the argument, UNILAG team won the contest with 852 points, defeating its opponent, which garnered 832 points. The prize for Best Lead Speaker went to Ekenimoh, who scored 443 points, while Serwaa became the runner up with 432points.
The judges’ panel hailed the UNILAG’s team for the depth of its argument and citations of relevant laws, which are the basic essentials in the law practice.
With the feat, the UNILAG team will represent the West Africa sub-region at the global challenge holding in London later this year.
Ekenimoh described the feat as “expected surprise”, saying the success of the team confirmed the leadership of UNILAG in teaching law. She promised the team would repeat the feat at the global challenge.
There was pandemonium at Madam Tinubu Hostel of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), last Wednesday, following the discovery of a fresh foetus at the sewage area. Residents of the hostel woke up to find the foetus said to have been flushed through the pipe that carried dirty water from the bathrooms to the sewage.
CAMPUSLIFE gathered that the foetus may have been dumped by a resident, who had an abortion. Students gathered at the scene to rain curses on the perpetrator.
Some residents of the hall, who spoke with CAMPUSLIFE, described the act as “callous”, saying they did not expect a “sane student” to engage in such act. They condemned the act, which they said could lead to serious health implications for residents.
On close examination, CAMPUSLIFE observed that the foetus was about five months old. Its legs, hands, eyes and other human features were already formed. The foetus was fresh, fueling speculation that the perpetrator may have removed it in the middle of the night.
A resident and Actuarial Science and Insurance student, Abimbola Oshin, described the sight of the foetus as “disgusting”. She said:
“When I saw the foetus, I was pained and became sad, because it was disgusting. Even if the perpetrator did not want the baby, it does not speak well to dispose the foetus in that manner. She may want to use the act to tarnish the image of the school and other residents of the hostel, because people would think it is a common practice among female students’’.
Abimbola said the perpetrator also endangered her own life in the process of terminating the foetus. “Students should learn how to have protected intercourse if they don’t want to have children,” she said.
Another resident, Elizabeth Aringbangban, a Mathematics Education student, said it was callous for any student to terminate and flush a foetus down the sewage pipe. “I was very irritated when I saw the foetus. I felt bad for the girl who could have done it. She is not human,” she said.
Elizabeth urged students to desist from engaging in open intercourse to avoid embarrassing situations.
She said: “They should abstain from intercourse and face the main purpose for which they are in school. Entering a relationship that is baseless will only lead to distraction and destruction. I wish the mother would have kept the baby instead.”
Peace Anosike, a Marine Sciences student, said: “When I saw the foetus, I felt ashamed as a woman. The features of the baby had formed but the mother thought it had to be thrown away. This is sad.”
She advised women to concentrate on their studies, rather than “running after men, who will impregnate them and run away”.
Many public tertiary institutions lack sufficient hostels to accommodate their teeming students. CAMPUSLIFE reporters visited the hostels of various institutions and discovered that the blame for the state of the hostels is shared by the management of the institutions and the students.
MANY students of tertiary institutions depend on campus hostels because they are cheaper than off-campus accommodation.
But only a few public tertiary institutions can boast of adequate hostels. Fewer still can boast of hostels which are in good condition.
A visit by CAMPUSLIFE to some hostels run by the Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUTMINNA), University of Lagos (UNILAG), University of Benin (UNIBEN), Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Federal Polytechnic, Bida, University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN), Federal Polytechnic Offa (FEDPOFFA), revealed that their facilities are in bad shape.
UNILAG
By Babatunde Kawthar
Though the University of Lagos (UNILAG) has 13 undergraduate halls of residence, it can only provide accommodation for about 20 percent of its students.This problem has put a lot of pressure on its hostels as majority of its students have resorted to squatting with their colleagues. As a result, the hostels are congested.
The male halls are more congested than the female halls because men find it easier to squat. Also, two male undergraduate halls are under renovation.
A room in a male hostel allocated to only eight students can be inhabited by 20 students. According to Jude, a final year student, the least number of occupants in any room he had ever stayed in is twice the number of those allocated to the room officially.
“See, once you get accommodation, just know that the least you can be in that room is twice the original occupants. In extreme cases you can even have multiples of four,” he said.
The pressure is evident in the condition of the rooms, the kitchenette and rest rooms. The halls are dirty.
“I can never stay in Makama Hall. Yes, many of UNILAG hostels are dirty but the condition of Makama is worse,” a female student lamented.
Chuma, a resident of Eni-Njoku Hall, said he watches what he eats to avoid using the hostel toilets.
“I can’t eat just anything; the toilets are too dirty and I have to avoid anything that will upset my stomach. The smell from the toilets can make you throw up,” he said.
The situation of the toilets in these halls, many believe, can be reversed if there is constant water and power supply to the halls. But some students do not think so. According to them, the neatest halls actually have inadequate power supply.
Students without bed spaces sleeping in a classroom
Adam, a year four student, said: “Biobaku and Kofo seem to be neater than most hostels and they rarely have light, unlike Moremi and other hostels on campus with better power supply. I think the neatness of the hall is dependent on management.”
While the institution has banned squatting by ensuring only legal occupants are allowed into halls of residence, this policy has proved ineffective. Off-campus halls, which could serve as alternatives, are too expensive for some students. This makes them to sleep in classrooms and areas designated for overnight reading. Faculties of Engineering and Environmental Sciences are the rendevous for these students.
Besides squatting, CAMPUSLIFE observed that many halls are not well managed with maintenance rarely done.
Except in extreme cases, such as when the the students protested to draw the attention of its management to the problem of bedbugs, and the institution was forced to fumigate all its halls of residence and change the mattresses, the halls management prefer to do surface maintenance. For instance, the outside walls are repainted to give the impresion that renovation was being done than fix the toilets and bathrooms.
Also, some halls lack fire extinguishers and fire alarms. While this does not make the hall completely unsafe, it puts residents at risk. A resident of Kofoworola Hall said: ‘Some days ago, there was a small fire outbreak caused by electricity, water could not be used to quench it. Students had to scream to call the attention of the hall officials. This is something we could have quenched with a fire extinguisher.’
UNILAG prides itself as institution of first choice for students and the nation’s beautiful bride and hence must strive for excellence in all aspects, including students’welfare. Certainly, students said, it could do more to improve the conditions of its halls, and should not while doing this, convert the halls to postgraduate halls or make them unnecessarily expensive as we have seen in some cases.
OAU
By Gabriel Ayodeji
Living in the halls of residences at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) is an exercise in endurance. Students are at the receiving end of the good and the bad. One reason is the large population of hostel residents. There are about 35,000 students in OAU with about 11,000 residing in the school’s hostels, which include four for the males, four for the females and one for the male and female Postgraduate students.
As one of the second generation institutions in the country, having being built in 1963, OAU has most of her public facilities erected over 50 years ago. Many of these, including the hostels, are poorly maintained.
CAMPUSLIFE discovered that some rooms in Moremi, Fajuyi and Awolowo Halls of Residence were abandoned for years, following a fire outbreak.These rooms have remained unrenovated ever since, despite the pressing needs for more hostels on campus.
The pressure of population on hostel facilities is a threat to hygiene. Students cook indiscriminately in spaces not meant for such, leaving the drains clogged and the surroundings messy.
One of the burnt hostel rooms yet to be repaired at OAU
An Estate Management student, Ahmed Jinadu, attributed the dilapidation of the hostels partly to population explosion.
“The contractors that built OAU in 1960s never envisaged the population we have in the halls of residence. In a way, this makes cleaning of backyards and corridors quite strenuous as students were never meant to cook at their backyards – as it is done now – causing an accumulation of liquid and solid wastes in the hostel because of overpopulation,” he said.
Apart from inadequate accommodation, utilities, such as water and power, are a luxury. Two out of three pumping machines at the University’s Dam are damaged leaving the institution with just one machine which can efficiently work for eight hours. With most of the reservoirs in the halls disconnected from pipelines, water has become erratic in the past three years because it takes little time for the functioning reservoirs to get empty.
Ogunrinu Gbenga Oladayo, a Student’s Union executive, described the maintenance culture as ‘poor’, blaming the university’s management for its awful disposition towards the dilapidation of the facilities.
“After the tenure of Prof. Rogers Makanjuola as Vice Chancellor, the eras of two VCs afterwards before the emergence of the Acting Vice Chancellor, Prof Anthony Elujoba, marked the periods of setbacks for the institution. The huge amount of money allocated by the Federal Government for the maintenance of hostels and implementations of other projects were diverted into personal purses at the detriment of students,” he claimed.
UNN
By James Ojo
Overcrowding is a problem at the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN).
Eruesegbefe GodsRay, a resident of Eni-Njoku, a male Hostel, said sometimes 12 students were forced to stay in hostel rooms meant for fewer than that number.
“They should address the issue of overcrowding in the hostels. In a particular room, you can see up to 12 students,” he lamented.
Though the female hostels are slightly better, Nkem Jika said about seven students stay in a room in Akpabio, a female hostel.
“Seven or six students in a room makes it congested,” she said.
But the students commended the school management for regular supply of electricity and water. However, they lamented the poor state of the hostel toilets as well as the environment, which they said was usually unkempt.
Hinweokwu Ugwuanyi, who stays at Nkrumah Hall (female hostel), said the toilets are hardly clean.
“The only issue we have in the hostel is the toilet end. Most times, the place is messed up. But in other areas, they are really trying. There is constant light and water,” she said.
Eruesegbefe said the lack of water supply in the hostels affects the toilets cleanliness.
“The toilets are few. Sometimes, everywhere around the hostels are messed up. They should put an overhead tank so that they can be flushing directly,” she said.
Juliet Ozioko, a resident of Akpabio Hostel, said the toilets are dirty because of cleaners’ inability to do work well, and poor tiolets habits by students.
“On the side of toilet facility, it is appalling. Cleaners do not clean the toilets well and some students do not even help matters. You will see some girls pouring faeces on the floor of toilets, thereby messing up and stinking. It is bad for our health,” she said.
Juliet also said water is not available in all hostels, adding that power supply is inadequate.
“The four necessities of life are food, water, light and toilet facilities. However, in UNN not all of these are made available to the students. In the area of water not all hostels enjoy the privilege of having adequate water supply. Hostels, such as Akintola, Akpabio and Okpara, have steady adequate water supply while others do not.
On power supply, she said: “When students really need it to read at night, it is not provided but during the day when we are at lecture halls, it is there wasting.”
Ebong Solomon, a resident of Alvan Ikoku male Hostel, described the state of facilities in the hostel as “very poor”.
“The school needs to do more. The vice chancellor has been trying to improve the facilities but the pace of the refurbishing must be increased. Security has been beefed up by putting iron doors in all the rooms in the hostel but the general outlook or appearance of the hostel must be improved. The electrical connections must be fixed. The hostel needs to be painted after several decades,” he said.
FUTMINNA
Abdulsalam Mahmud
When students of the Federal University Minna talk about their hostels, the poor state of toilet facilities is tops their minds.
CAMPUSLIFE visited the ‘Block A’ Male Hostel of Gidan Kwano Campus. The facility is in a state of disrepair. But the students are to be blamed for bad toilets habit.
The toilets and bathrooms compartment on the second floor of the hostel block were poorly lit. The floor is slippery – the result of repeated urination and excretion. Worse still, it smells. A tall student, was seen urinating on the corridor without entering the toilet.
Another student, who was waiting to use the bathroom, hissed in disgust, his mouth covered with a handkerchief, to keep out the offensive smell from assaulting his nostrils.
“I no no why some guys no go ever get sense,” he said in disgust. “Person don big, but go still dey behave like animal’’, he lamented as he made his way to find a relatively clean toilet.
Meanwhile, a chocking smell of fresh excreta from the deserted bathroom hit the toilet area.
In virtually all the toilets on the block, an army of flies was seen perching on the urine-soaked cistern, lobbies and faeces-embellished toilets’ floors, even as a foul, and toxic odours emanated from indiscriminate urination.
Usman Mustapha, an engineering student who resides in the hostel, decried the deplorable condition of the toilets, adding that lack of functional water system and bad toilet etiquettes by some students had made them unsafe for use.
He said: “It is quite unfortunate and worrisome that students, who ought to have common sense and be properly cultured, misuse the toilets. On several occasions, I have seen mature students urinating right at the entrance lobby, instead of going inside toilets. At times, if you are not lucky, a mountain of faeces will greet you by the time you enter to shower in the bathroom.
FUTA Minna
“In fact, those of us whose rooms are close to the toilets and bathrooms are the worst hit, as the offensive smells of urine and excreta that pervade our rooms cause discomfort.”
Usman lamented that some cleaners employed to tidy the toilets do not do their work well. He also pleaded with the university management to build more toilets and renovate the damaged ones.
“There is need for cleaners to be adequately provided with vital cleaning instruments, sanitisers and detergents to aid their work,’’ he added.
The experience is not different for Patience Uzor, who stays in a female hostel on the Bosso Campus of the university. She said that some students dread taking their baths and using the hostel’s toilets because they are filthy.
She lamented that the floors of some toilets are littered with blood-stained sanitary towels, urine and excreta. She blamed the school management for the problem.
“It is true that students contribute to the deplorable state of the toilets through improper and unhygienic handling of the overstretched toilet facilities. However, the school management cannot be exonerated either.
“The fact that most of our toilets’ lightings are not functioning, regular supervision of cleaners is not done, and some toilets’ doors are damaged, corroded and having cracked walls show the indifference of the university management towards students’ good health. A visitor coming to the hostel toilets for the first time doesn’t need a soothsayer to tell him that they haven’t being a beneficiary of any renovation work since they were built,’’ Patience said.
A top management staff member, who refused to be named because he was not mandated to speak on the issue, however, said that students who reside in campus hostels should not treat their hygiene with kid gloves.
He said: “They say charity begins at home. Students, who misuse hostel toilets, can be described as uncultured. They lack good morals and proper upbringing right from their homes. The questions are: Are they exhibiting the same attitude in their various homes? Do some of them have cleaners or maids who tidy their toilets and bathrooms at their home? What about the off-campus students? Who clean their bathrooms and toilets? I think it is high time our youths and students had value-reorientation. Let them develop a culture of properly maintaining facilities which the university management has provided for their own use and benefit.’’
UNILORIN
By Toyin Ali
At the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), the number of students who live off campus are more than those on campus thanks to insufficient hostel accommodation.
At the University’s main campus, six hostels are owned by the school management while the rest are owned by individuals. Of the six hostels, five are occupied by female students. Only one is meant for the males.
The only exception is the College of Medicine, which has all its hostels owned and controlled by the university management for students studying Medicine, Physiology and Anatomy. Most of them stay on campus.
For non-medical students, especially the males, living on campus is not a tea party.
Ali Adediran, a Law student, complained about the condition of the male hostel.
He said: “Although the Student Affairs unit is trying its best to put the only male hostel in the best condition but the situation of things keep aggravating. For instance, the hygiene of the hostel environment and convenience is nothing to write home about.
“Most times, the convenience will be left untidy, with mole of faeces occupying everywhere. The issue of water supply also surfaces sometimes when the water taps dry off. However, I wouldn’t fail to recognise the effort of the management to fix issues on time.”
But female students fare better. Ololade Omobola of the Faculty of Physical Science, gave a pass mark to the University Management for putting in place necessary measures to cater for the affairs of the female students.
However, she lamented that issues are not addressed on time.
“For instance, Block B of the Lagos Hostel has light problems. That has been the situation for the past few days. In addition, there is occasional case of laptop theft and general mismanagement of hostel property,” she said.
Maryam Adesina, a Law student, resides in one of the private hostels on campus. She gave a good account of its management. She, however, raised issues about the high cost to students.
UNIBEN
By Ezekiel Efeobhokhan
But for the population burden, many students say the hostels at the University of Benin (UNIBEN) are in a fair state.
The hostels were initially designed to accommodate eight students in a room but illegal occupants, popularly known as squatters, could double the number.
The toilet facilities, windows and doors were recently renovated by a former Students Union president, Raymond Omorogbe. However, work has stopped since his tenure ended but the students are still expecting the continuation of his good work
“The hostel condition in Hall 4, though not perfect, is better than when I first got admission,” said Mathew Osagbovo, a final year Agricultural Science student. “But this vice chancellor has done lots of renovation in the hostels and this has brought the hostel to its present manageable state.”
When asked to rate the state of the hostels, another final year student, Peter Irabor, of Geology, scored it 40 per cent. He said the hostels are over populated because the management refused to build new hostels.
Others, however, blamed the management for lack of maintenance culture.
“We pay more than N8,000 every session as maintenance fee, where does the money go to. Yet, we have overgrown grasses, dirty water and some lockers don’t even have doors,” said a female student who simply gave her name as Keffi.
The only hostel with a perfect condition is the newly built NDDC hostel, allocated only to Medical, pharmacy and nursing students. CAMPUS LIFE learnt that renovation was ongoing in the existing clinical hostel.
Public Relations Officer of the university, Mr. Michael Osasuyi, said with two female hostels under construction, the problem of congestion would soon be a thing of the past.
On hygiene, he said the students have a large part to play in sustaining the recently-renovated hostels.
“The hostel may be dirty and unusable but that may be due to congestion which will soon be a thing of the past. But the students should be able to learn how to maintain the school’s property as this can go a long way for the sustenance of hostel facilities,” he said.
FEDPOFFA
By Jennifer Umeh
The hostels of the Federal Polytechnic Offa (FEDPOFFA), in Kwara State are relatively new, given that it is not too long since the institution moved to its permanent site.
However, the students are yearning for cleaner surroundings and regular electricity supply.
‘’We do not have regular electricity in our hostel apart from the electricity supply, the institution complements it with five hours of electricity supply through its main generator. Water is also pumped during this period,” said a student who does not want to be named.
The Nation newspaper’s Group Political Editor, Dr Emmanuel Oladesu, was among the 95 graduates conferred with Doctor of Philosophy Degree (PhD) of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) last week.
Oladesu, who has bagged his PhD in Educational Psychology, worked on the thesis: ‘Impact of Pre-retirement training on anxiety and attitude to retirement among public primary school teachers in Ekiti State, Nigeria.’
He said completing the programme was fulfilling his destiny.
“I feel wonderful. It is a fulfillment of destiny for me. I am happy to join the league of those who have been given the licence by the Ivory Tower to intellectually rule the world henceforth. I thank God for the long journey that has ended well,” he said.
Dr Oladesu said he hoped to make a difference in the world by carrying out researches that will develop the nation and add meaning to the lives of Nigerians.
Also at the event, Assistant Editor, Mr Muyiwa Lucas, stood proudly by his wife, Olufunke, who got her PhD in Measurement and Evaluation.
Mrs Lucas, who graduated with a distinction at Masters level in Measurement and Evaluation in the Faculty of Education of the university, teaches Mathematics and Further Mathematics at New Era Senior Girls High School, Surulere.
She said she was blessed to have a husband who supported her dream wholeheartedly.
“My doctorate degree is dedicated to my husband. He has been there for me financially, academically, among others. We practically did the entire work together. I am very blessed to have him. Nigerian women should step up to the occasion. They should not limit themselves, because we are the heart of the marriage. They should be humble and respect their husbands and carry them along so that they will give them full support to achieve their dreams,” Dr Lucas said.
Her thesis was titled: ‘Mode of Entry as predictor of Academic performance among undergraduate students in selected public universities in South-West Nigeria.’
The Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN) Lagos State Area Unit has lauded 17 of its members who made First Class at the 49th convocation of the University of Lagos (UNILAG).
MSSN President Dr Saheed Ashafa, in a statement, said academic excellence remained major goal of the society.
Ashafa said the graduates would be honoured at the next MSSN Lagos Outstanding Muslims Merit Award.
“When the award was held in 2016, Lagos State public school pupils who emerged as one-day governor, deputy governor and commissioners after a debate competition were the honorees. They emerged successful at a point when many Nigerians had underrated the intellectual capacities of Muslim female pupils because they wear the hijab,” he said, adding: “It pains that we are in a society that values frivolities than academic excellence. These are students that should ordinarily be celebrated and be placed at high rank but our leaders appear to be more interested rewarding those who do well in music and dancing among others.”
He noted that the society which the graduates belong to has been suspended in the institution.
Ashafa pleaded with the Prof Rahamon Bello-led UNILAG management to lift the suspension.
He said: “Some of these students were subjected to undue hardship and still emerged victorious. We may not be able to completely claim that their membership with the MSSN made them have First Class, but the association and society that one belongs to have a lot to tell about how far and well you will perform.
“To us, the MSSN in UNILAG that was suspended did no wrong. We hope that further events will vindicate us. We urge Muslim students in the institution not to be distracted and pursue their spiritual, moral and academic development vigorously.”
MSSN UNILAG Branch President for the 2014/2015 session, Abdur-Rasheed Adeoye attributed the students’ success to Allah.
MSSN activities were suspended at the 2014/2015 academic session.
Adeoye, a graduating student of the Department of Science and Technology Education (Integrated Science Education), said: “This is an encouragement for those of us leading the society. Although, we wish more students also achieved this height. It is a worthy achievement for us as it shows that our efforts to achieve academic excellence are not in vain. Many of those that bagged First Class are beneficiaries of our scholarship scheme, all thanks to God.”
A 32-year-old undergraduate, John Udoka, on Friday appeared in an Ebute Meta Chief Magistrates’ Court, Lagos, for allegedly obtaining N2.6 million under false pretences.
Udoka of the Department of Marine Science, University of Lagos, was arraigned on a five-count charge bordering on issuing a dud cheque, stealing and obtaining under false pretences.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The Prosecutor, Sgt. Jimah Iseghede, said that the offences were committed on Sept. 29, 2015 at the University of Lagos Campus, Akoka.
Iseghede said the accused had fraudulently obtained N2.6 million from Bolanle Ogundana under the pretence of supplying her 20 tonnes of sharp sand which he failed to do since 2015.
He said the accused had gone ahead to issue a Guaranty Trust Bank dud cheque with No. 70304419 and had also gone to harass the complainant at her construction site.
Iseghede said the offences contravened sections 166, 285, 312 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
The Magistrate, Mrs K.A. Ariyo, admitted the accused to a bail in the sum of N500,000 with two sureties in like sum.
Ariyo said that one of the sureties must be a blood relation of the accused, and adjourned the case till Feb. 15 for mention. (NAN)
