The physical and emotional stability of a student are key components to assessing his or her academic performance. It is also imperative that students learn without hitches and in accommodating environments.
QUEST TIMES’ correspondent Matthew Tabe, took a tour of the University of Abuja campus and interacted with some of the students who expressed agony and anguish over the continued shortage of hostel accommodation, a situation they described as a threat to the learning environment.
This is despite the fact that the Vice Chancellor of the University of Abuja, Prof. Abdulrasheed Na’Allah, had on July 2, 2021, announced that the university has received grants running into a whopping N1 billion to build a fence round the school against encroachment, build the International Conference Centre, received N150 million for students hostels, received funds for landscaping and for the renovation of some roads within the campus.
The VC had stated that the projects, approved by the Ministry of Education through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund, would take off as soon as 2021. But the varsity is still looking like a smaller college when compared to other federal universities created at the same time and year–January, 1988.
Checks on the institution last Wednesday by our Reporter, revealed that students are still battling with accommodation issues, as some of them find it difficult to attend lectures and therefore skip some lectures due to exorbitant transport fare to the campus.
Some students who live inside Gwagwalada spend between N400 to N1000 to and from campus daily.
This is because most of them stay off campus in locations like Giri village, Gwagwalada Area Council, Lugbe, Airport Road, Abaji, among other parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
While visiting the new male and female hostels, our Reporter observed that some students have received accommodation in some blocks of the new hostels while projects are still ongoing in others.
However, the construction of the hostels as observed, is not yet Uhuru, as the school management continues to admit more students, thereby increasing their population and competition for few living spaces.
Compared to other Federal Universities like UniMAID, Unilorin, ABU, Zaria, Unizik, UniUyo, Ife, UniLag, among others, you would discover that when you combine the old and new male hostels, there are not up to the number of rooms in just Block C of the University of Maiduguri (UnMAID) for instance or ABU, Zaria.
Vice Chancellor called out
A 300-level student of Business Administration who craved anonymity for this story and boarded the same Keke Napep (commercial tricycle) from the entrance gate into the school with our correspondent, during a conversation said: “Our VC is just interested in projects execution and rushed semesters so that once top dignitaries from the Education Ministry come into the university, they will see the edifices he has built and laud his effort.
“He is not interested in our academic excellence. Once he fixes a tentative date for examination, that becomes the final date. He will not reverse it, despite outcries from students that they’re not fully prepared for the exams. Do you know that there are some courses that we’re yet to be taught in our academic syllabus but as you can see, we are already writing examinations on these courses. It is so unfortunate that most of us live outside the school and are experiencing hardship in terms of getting accommodation.”
Another student–a 200 level undergraduate of Political Science–Benjamin Akpa, expressed grievances that despite the fact that he booked for hostel accommodation online, he hasn’t been given one and has resorted to squatting with a friend.
The student revealed that he attends lectures, but whenever he doesn’t have transport fare, he has to stay at home because he cannot afford to beg his colleagues for fare.
On her part, a female student who pleaded anonymity for this story, expressed sadness over the nonchalant attitude of the school management in building massive hostels for students, even though the school is blessed with huge land resources.
She said; “It is in our school that you will see final year students that are fully entitled to accommodation, not having a space in the hostel and same for some first year students.”
She lamented that the pace of work at the new hostels is very slow, as the situation has increased their daily expenditure on transport fare to the campus.
However, Freda Philibus, a 400-level student of the Law Department, said the VC is trying his best as there’s no cause for alarm.
Also speaking, Jamiu Abdulmaliq, a Geography student, stressed that since inception of the school, the issue of hostel accommodation is yet to be addressed and the VC is reluctant about it.
He said: “I’m squatting with a friend at Giri. Although we’re not comfortable, we’re just managing because we don’t have a choice.”
Cynthia Itodo who studies Accounting, lives at the Water Board area of Gwagwalada. She said she spent N800 daily from her home to the main campus in order to attend lectures. She decried the hostel ordeal but said she is already used to the system.
A response from University authority
Responding to the allegations raised by the students, the Director of Public Relations of the University of Abuja, Dr. Habib Yakubu, said the school management is on top of the accommodation issue, and that it is not mandatory for all students to stay in the school’s hostels.
He said: “In the next couple of years, the university is trying to partner with private organisations to see that more hostels are erected to provide succor to the students.”
The university spokesperson emphasized that in terms of the sanitary conditions, the hostels and surroundings are clean and students are not complaining about those. “I don’t know whether you have been to the hostels to see things for yourself but I have spoken with the students at different times and they’re not complaining about the sanitary conditions of the hostels,” Yakubu said.
Yakubu revealed that all the university faculties have been relocated to the main campus to ease the movement of students with regards to their academic pursuits and managerial operations of the school authority.