Recently, fire gutted one of the Postgraduate Girls Hostels in Ekehuan Campus, University of Benin, Benin City. Many of the students are still heartbroken and depressed as the fire burnt their belongings. IFUNANYA OSAKWE (UNIBEN) reports.
These are distressing times for female postgraduate students at the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Ekehuan Campus.
Last week, students living at the Block A Postgraduate (PG) Hostel in Ekehuan Campus lost their belonging to the fire that rocked the hostel.
The affected students are yet to be compensated by the school management.
The fire was said to have been caused by an electrical spark from faulty wiring of the hostel. Several students claimed they had reported the problem to the porters, but that nothing was done to address it.
The fire had erupted in one of the PG Hostel rooms and had escalated to the others and would have burnt the building, if not for the timely intervention of the Federal Fire Service, Edo State Fire Service and University of Benin Fire Service.
The fire, however, burnt the top floor of the PG Hostel containing 20 occupied rooms, living in its wake destruction, though no life was lost.
Further investigation on the site by CAMPUSLIFE shows that the fire was able to consume the top floor because of the plywood used to partition the walls of the rooms.
According to some of the students at the Ekehuan Campus, plywood should not be have been used to demarcate rooms as they provided fuel for the fire.
Observers believe had the rooms been partitioned by blocks, the damage would have been less serious.
Students of the Department of Mass Communication, Theatre Arts, Fine Art and Early Childhood were affected as they occupied the top floor of the Ladies’ PG Hostel.
They decried the poor construction of the hostel, especially the wiring.
They claimed that in the past they had taken the initiative to fix some electrical problems as the institution’s management had failed to do the needful.
However, Joan Okeoghene, a Fine Art students, noted that repairing the electrical faults themselves could not help much as the problem was from the main conduits.
Okeoghene said she couldn’t believe that she had lost everything in one day.
According to her, she lost belongings worth N500,000. “I felt I was dreaming when my friend called me that fire was burning on my floor.
“Immediately, I ran from the class to the hostel only for me to see that the top floors were consumed. At first, I thought of the things I bought for my sculptor project and I wept. I spent N100,000 to buy those things. Now they are gone. Or is it my laptop, clothes, documents? Everything you can think of in a student’s life was lost in the fire.
“Now I do not know the next step to take. Where do I start from? It is not as if my parents are extremely wealthy. I know what it took them to raise the N100, 000 for the project. How do they raise another amount? It is sad,” she lamented.
Another student, who lost her valuables in the fire, Toyin Olaoluwa, said her belongings, which included an iphone and laptop worth about N400,000, were gone.
“How I wish I knew. I would have taken them along with me to the class that morning. But, is my room not supposed to be a safe haven? Unfortunately, the answer is no.
“What of my school documents? I am already in my final year and my project work was on the laptop. So, I will have to start from the beginning because it was not saved on the Google cloud or mail.
“Right now, I feel hopeless and I do not know what to do next.This clothe I am wearing is the only thing I have. How do I cope? No place to sleep, no food to eat. My money and ATM card were also burnt,” she said.
When asked if the management had come to their aid, she said there had been nothing concrete save for the promise of a new accommodation by the Dean of Student Affairs.
Osemudiamen Nancy of the Early Childhood Department said she had been coming to school from home because no hostel space had been allocated to her after the incident.
She wondered why it was taking the school management too long to attend to their needs.
“Examination is close. My textbooks got burnt. Yet, I come from home, which is a very far from school. I do not have much money.
“I am actually lucky because I kept my school documents at home and I went for class that morning with my phone. I did not lose much, but, then, I am homeless in school.
“There are indications that the school management wants to give us space at the male postgraduate hostel. But, we need it to be sure. It is less then 15 days to examination and there is no time to waste,” she said.
Michelle Osagie of the Theatre Art Department said she had been depressed ever since the fire incident.
According to her, she was selling male and female wears and had just restocked when the incident happened.
“I lost everything. Nothing could be salvaged. Not even a pin. I knew how hard I was able to build my clothing business to sustain myself in school. Now, I am back to square one. But if the porters had been alive to their responsibilities, this wouldn’t have happened.
“Yes, they are to be blamed. They never take our complaints serious. Look at where we are left; no hope of recovering what we lost.
“Initially, they were trying to pin the cause of the fire on us. They said a student left her hotplate connected and it exploded.
“They have forgotten that their was no light that morning and the said student was not even around. How did she cook with hotplate? Even before this fire, we did not have water for almost a week due to the breakdown of the pumping machine. There was no water to even douse the flame when it started.
“What of a fire extinguisher? There was none and this is important in any place. These are the things the school must put in place in other hostels,” she said.
Another victim of the fire outbreak, who does not want to be named, said she was shocked that about 20 students lost their belongings in the fire and the SUG president did not deem it necessary to visit them.
“This is one of the reasons this country will remain the way it is. We voted you in for our welfare and yet challenging times come up and we do not see them take actions to eradicate our pains.
“I believe that if the SUG president had taken up this case, by now we would have been properly compensated. But, in this case, nothing tangible has been done. If you give us another hostel, what of our belongings? Who will replace them? I lost household items worth N100,000.
“The school management and SUG are lucky that no life was lost. If not, it would have been another thing entirely,’” she said.
Another student and occupant in the Block A, Stella Osagie, said she was depressed as she lost her iphone XR worth over N200,000 and her laptop worth N250,000 to the fire.
“I am so devasted. I do not know what to do. All my belongings, which include my clothes, school documents and phone, are gone. Right now, I have nothing, but this clothe I am wearing,” she said.
Martha Henry, another occupant of the affected PG Block A, said she was at a loss on what to do. She noted that everything she had, including cash, credentials and her project, were burnt. According to Henry, she is, however, grateful for escaping the fire as she was asleep when it started.
“I thank God for my life. I was sleeping when it started and when I woke up everywhere was filled with smoke. I had to find my way down the stairs. Thank goodness. My room was towards the beginning of the floor,” she said.
Students’ Union Govt reacts
The Assistant Secretary General, Students’ Union Government (SUG), Clinton Omoruyi, said he was shocked when he learnt about the incident.
“My office is trying to see if anyone can assist in compensating those who lost their property.
“The school management, however, has given the affected students another hostel. About 40 of the affected students are housed in another hostel on the campus.
“Although investigation is ongoing as the case is sensitive. We still hope for more compensation for the students affected by the fire,” he said.
Investigation ongoing, says management
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Benin, Prof. Lilian Salami, had visited the burnt hostel.
However, she could not meet the affected students following a heavy rain.
Dean of Student Affairs, Dr Clem Ighodaro, said investigation on the cause of the fire was ongoing.
“I cannot disclose much information because the investigation as to the cause of the fire is still ongoing,” he said.
The Dean confirmed that the students had recently been relocated to another hostel on the campus.
Succour for those affected
Popular actress, Uche Jumbo, through the All Campus Show, has donated food items and toiletries to the victims of the fire. She said her attention was drawn to the incident by the Show.
Jombo sympathised with the affected students and urged them to be their brother’s keeper at this time.
“During the trying times, my thoughts are with the victims that are bearing the brunt of this unexpected tragedy. “Although I would have come down to UNIBEN to see the students, I am unable to do so due to some reasons. But, I got the information and the attention about the victims from All Campus Show so that I can compensate them from my own end of which I did gladly, ” she said.