AfriPulse
My people, e be like say UNILAG don set full ground to clear space for student hostel wey dem no enter! About 800 bed spaces don dey on the line as dem dey warn say by end of January, if you no show face, abeg, your space go waka. Na Prof. Musa Obalola, wey be the Dean of Student Affairs, tell us this one wey day happen.
According to am, many students don pay and register but dem never move enter the hostel wey dem allocate for dem. E give example say some people dey talk say hostel get empty space, but na this kind students wey no collect their allocated space wey dem dey talk.
“About 800 bed spaces dey fall inside this category, so if dem no move get ready to chop breakfast for end of January,” Na wetin Obalola yarn. He even talk say dem fit refund some students wey no fit enter, just to give the space to others wey dey keen, sabi? E don dey tough for UNILAG because every year about 35,000 students dey chase just 10,599 bed spaces. Na wah o!
This year e don even bad pass as transportation cost don skyrocket, and rent outside don dey high! Last week, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Folasade Ogunsola, don bring idea of building extra 7,836 bed spaces by next year to help wey people sabi say dem go fit enter hostel. Dem go partner with Tertiary Education Trust Fund and private contractors wey don already start work.
As e be, na so on-campus accommodation fit reach about 10,599 bed spaces for all dem students, including postgraduates and those wey manage their own hostel. Obalola talk say dem dey try allocate close to 8,000 bed spaces for only undergraduates, but to put everyone for campus na forever dream.
“Abeg, this one no be just for Naija o, everywhere in the world accommodation no dey determine admission. Before you even apply, you go don dey think where you go stay. When I dey study for UK, na my accommodation I dey think before I even think of my travel!” he yarn.
Obalola talk say the money to build hostels don dey high since government don block some funds for that matter. But despite the wahala, dem dey try manage as many students as possible because of the security wey dey outside campus.
As he dey talk, na wetin go make am joy if all students fit stay for campus. “But na die! E no go work like that,” he agree join. As for how dem dey share bed spaces, he explain say e no be everything be equal, dem dey use different strategy wey fit make sense for all types of students.
Especially for students wey get challenges like visually impaired and those wey dey do sports. Na special attention dem dey give dem, but sometimes allocation go slow due to too many applications or incomplete papers.
Obalola dey expect say within two years, go get plenty more bed spaces for students. “I dey think say for two years, we go fit add like 10,000 new bed spaces so that when we reach about 20,000, e go make plenty sense,” he talk. No be small matter!
He also touch on squatting, wey even though e no correct, e dey happen plenty because of this accommodation wahala. Last year dem try use regulated squatting to manage things because of renovation and exams, and na the same reason dem dey continue am dis year.
Dem send Google Form make students fit apply, and within 30 minutes, over 30,000 students don jump enter! E be like say dem go just allow limited people per room to control crowd. “If na two-man room, we go fit add one extra; four-man room, two extra; and eight-man room, maybe three more,” Obalola explain.
But make we clear, this arrangement dey temporary, to stop any illegal squatter from wahala. If you dey allocated bed space and no move in before end of the month, your space go enter to person wey dey sharp to move in!” he conclude.
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