Usmanu Danfodiyo: When varsity hostel becomes a nightmare

So far, the school has over 5,000 bed spaces, and the number is expected to increase to over 6,000 by the end of the year because of the additional structures being put in place by Sokoto, Kano and Zamfara state governments respectively. It is expected that when completed, accommodation could be provided for over 1,000 […]

So far, the school has over 5,000 bed spaces, and the number is expected to increase to over 6,000 by the end of the year because of the additional structures being put in place by Sokoto, Kano and Zamfara state governments respectively. It is expected that when completed, accommodation could be provided for over 1,000 students.
However, investigations by Sunday Trust revealed that the existing 5,000 spaces are inadequate considering the number of applicants annually, thus some students have resorted to mosques for accommodation.
Another source revealed that some students sleep in classrooms and only return to hostels in the morning to take their bath and prepare for lectures.

Officially, each existing room was to accommodate eight students, but our findings have it that over 20 students stay in one room. It was also gathered that about 70 per cent of the student population live off-campus in spite of the distance from the school.
A 400-Level student of the institution, Tahir Dahiru,  said each bed space costs N5,500, but some students collect N12,000 to N20,000 to forfeit their spaces because of the high demand.
The hardship students undergo in submitting their application forms for accommodation had compelled the management of the institution to adopt the online application system.
The online application measure may have been prompted by the stampede recorded this year when students were submitting their application forms for hostel accommodation, as a result of which three of them fainted.
Another final-year student in the school, Surajo Ibrahim Barde, while narrating his ordeal, said they had stayed at the submission centre overnight, only for the school authority to announce the cancellation of the submission exercise the following morning and asked them  to apply online.
He recalled that the cancellation was caused by some students who came the following morning and wanted to shunt, but their fellow students vehemently objected, as a result of which a free- for-all fight ensued. He said only one student fainted at the time and was rushed to the clinic.
Speaking to Sunday Trust, the Dean, Students Affairs, Dr. Adamu Aliero, said he was not aware of  such incident,  even as he admitted that he had to stop the last submission exercise in order to relieve the students of suffering.
He also explained that the online application was a precautionary measure meant to avoid what had happened in one of the tertiary institutions where a suicide bomber killed several students.
Aliero described the provision of hostel accommodation to students as a privilege, not the responsibility of the university, adding that there was a directive dated back to the admin- istration of former President Shehu Shagari, which pegged the number of students to be accommodated by tertiary schools owned by government at 30 per cent.
He said that so far, 7,500 students have applied for accommodation for 2014/2015 academic session, which he said are far above the required 30 per cent as directed by the National Universities Commission (NUC).
The dean, however, added: “But let me assure you that with the new structures put in place by some state governments, we will be able to accommodate more than 30 per cent of our student population.”
He added that contracts have been awarded for the construction of additional hostel facilities at the newly constructed faculties’ site.
Dr. Aliero disclosed that the management of the university has been encouraging private individuals and organisations to come and invest in the school accommodation as government alone cannot provide accommodation to all students.
The dean said the allegation that allocating accommodation is based on “who you know” is not true. According to him, only people who applied are considered, adding that priority is always given to those who apply first, with special consideration to fresh and final-year students.
Aliero added that the online application adopted had made the process even more transparent and scandal-free.
On the transfer of ownership of bed spaces for monetary gains, he warned that “bed spaces are not transferable” and that any student found wanting would be punished accordingly.
At the time of our visit, the university’s hostels were undergoing different kinds of renovation, including drilling of more boreholes.
According to the dean, all the campuses of the school have adequate electricity and water supply. Contract has also been awarded to connect every part of the school with the internet. This, he said, was meant to make life better, adding that the ongoing projects would be completed before the commencement of students’ registration exercise.