Different Institutions, Different Reactions

Recently, various tertiary institutions have had strikes led by their Student Union Government (SUG); from Obafemi Awolowo University to the University of Lagos and more recently, University of Ibadan. All getting closed due to student protests on the living condition in campus. This has urged me to analyse the type of reaction gotten from students based in campus and those who live outside campus.

For every student, water and electricity are very important and are one of the things that make life easier, aside gala and lacasera.

In the University of Ibadan (UI), for instance, where most of the students live on campus, students like to register for their hostel accommodation on time so as to get the best hostel and a favorable room. I remember a friend of mine,who was a student at UI, calling her course mate to inform her that registration for hostel accommodation was ongoing in the school portal and she should hurry to do hers. By the time she did her registration, she was able to get Awo hall (Obafemi Awolowo Hall) and got a room on the ground floor, which she considered a blessing. Her friend on the other hand, did her registration the next day and also got into Awo hall, but got a room on the 4^th floor. When she lamented about this, I thought, “Why are you complaining na, staying upstairs is nice.” I was not thinking in the direction of what they would go through thou, as water does not run into the rooms, so students have to go downstairs to get water, that is, if you do not have money to call a water boy. Those who stayed downstairs were counted as lucky as they did not have to go through the gruelling task of hauling water up the stairs after a tiring day in class.

I had the opportunity of visiting them once and spent the night at their hostel. Electricity was not stable, as they were only provided light at evening time. They had been provided electric cookers, but these got spoilt, as I was told, almost immediately they were allocated, so students made use of stoves. The impression I got while there was that the students were already frustrated from the living conditions and were all focused on when they would finally finish their program. So I can very well understand that these students, when their basic amenities, light and water, were not provided, reacted.

In schools where students stay off campus, Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) for instance, the basic need of students are focused round water, electricity and fuel. If you can afford it, you can get a hall that has running water and not have to bother yourself; just go for your class, come home and have the assurance that you do not have to bother about water issues, except if there is a problem with the light, then you have no choice but to use the well. On the other hand, if you cannot afford the more expensive halls, you can go for the cheaper one with wells. At most, if the well in your hall is dry, you would go over to the hall nearby to get water, muddy or otherwise.

Students get accustomed to the inconsistent nature of the power distribution companies and so in a hall, at least two out of ten students have a generator. Light is something that is provided mostly when you are off to campus for a lecture or is very regular when school is out of session and you begin to wonder what benefit is that to students. When there is no light for a while, students resort to the generator sets; when fuel finishes, that is when you start hearing “Ki lon se awon Nepa yii”, meaning “What is wrong with Nepa officials”. Finally, when the light situation lasts for a while, and money for fuel is almost exhausted, a group of student representatives, normally from the SUG, would match to the distribution company to protest and the circle goes on. Most times, during rainy season, you can hear indigenes explain the lack of electricity by saying “Won sa wire”, meaning, “They have spread the wires to dry”.

All in all, different schools have their different issues and different ways of addressing these issues. In an institution where students stay within the campus, the management is responsible for the provision of these very important amenities. While in institutions where students stay off-campus, the reverse is the case, at most, the management speaks for the students once in a while.