“There’s madness in our hostels” – UNILORIN student cries out

A University of Ilorin (UNILORIN) student shared the following on Facebook…

It is noteworthy to know three weeks ago, on our campus, the two Lagos hostels (both males and females) were exposed to one of the highest inhumane conditions ever. Hostel cleaners failed to work, toilets were not washed, same goes with the bathrooms, the hostel looked like a dumping ground, like an abode of animals. Alas! This is where students of the purported ‘better by far’ university live in.

The students’ union didn’t fail to acknowledge this in time, a ‘press release’ got out from the students’ union that something will be done about this madness. A week after, the cleaners got back to some cosmetics work, we thought we’ve been saved from our punishment (the sins of which we know not). It becomes imperative for the public to know this madness students are exposed to by our ‘ogas at the top’ has started again since the last week and our toilets and bathrooms can be easily mistaken for where pigs are kept as I write this. Cleaners have stopped working again, they’re not being paid their salaries. The question that begs for answers now is; what is our offense?

It is important to know that students in these hostels pay 28,000 for a session, the most expensive of any federal university in Nigeria that I know of. Every inhabitant of the hostels paid this fee. What is the problem with paying the hostel cleaners their salaries thereby exposing students to this terror is what I fail to understand. These cleaners are being paid a meagre 12,000 monthly and they’ve been owed for some months now and you still expect them to continue working? No, they shouldn’t, they should rather be paid. If the MBO can’t manage the hostels anymore, why not drop it?!

You want students to behave like 21st century students and you expose them to inhumane environment worthy of the 16th century students. How the hell is that possible?! Just because majority of unilorites are docile and have been turned to the ‘zombies’ the management desires doesn’t mean our welfarism should be taken granted of. I came to school to learn and not to contact diseases. This is the time for the students’ union led by Eminent to show if their determination is truly unshakable as synonymous to their administration. Engage the management of the hostels, get us results, enough of ‘press statements’, it’s time for some actions, we can’t continue to endure this madness. We are students, intellectuals, and not animals, these are not conditions worthy of our status.

The students’ union must spring to action now and let us know our welfarism is still safe in their hands. If something is not done in the next few days, the results won’t be good for the university’s image, students won’t take this. These are dangerous times, they call for dangerous measures. It’s time to throw away the inapplicable slogan of _modern unionism_ as it has not been working for us for years now. _Intellectual radicalism_ is what we need, it’s not until we carry placards, damage properties, that we become intellectually radical, it is about engagement. It is time for demands to be made from masters without fears and not shriek at the sight of them.

Some minutes ago when I was still planning to write this, I saw Akeukanwo’s article and his displeasures to this madness. He called for a hashtag campaign which I will be adding at the end of this article. Concerned unilorites should rebroadcast. Just because you don’t stay in the hostels shouldn’t make you blind to this, they say; An injury to one is an injury to all. Don’t let anyone intimidate you with the stupid #Face_Tanke slogan, you only #Face_Tanke when you break rules. We are intellectuals, we will break no rules, all we want is; the right thing should be done.