The Federal University, Kashere in Gombe State, says it has constructed 1,600-bed capacity facilities to cushio the effect of inadequate student accommodation.
Dr Musa Dahiru, Dean Student Affairs of the institution, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Friday in Gombe.
Dahiru said the project was designed to upgrade the facilities from 400 to 1,600-bed capacity to meet growing demand.
A survey by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the Modibbo Adama Unversity of Technology (MAUTECH), Yola; Federal University, Kashere; Gombe State University and Yobe State University, showed that students in the institutions were in dire need of accomodation due to inadequate provision and poor condition of the existing facilities.
Some of the facilities were either ill-maintained or overcrowded, lack of water and power supply, filthy rooms and bathrooms as well as poor sanitary condition among others.
The situation has been affecting proper learning and health of the students, while the institutions provided hostel accommodation to only the first and final year students due to lack of available spaces.
The trend also forced a great number of students to live off campus in shanty settlements in the host communities at exorbitant prices.
However, Dahiru said the institution allocated hostel accommodation to final students, adding that: “the final year students needs to stay in th campus because they need to be closer to their project supervisors.”
According to him, the school is charging N20,000 per bed space.
He alleged that some estate operators were taking advantage of the situation to exploit unsuspecting students residing outside the campus
He said that the rent charge by the landlords was between N30,000 and N100,000 per annum depending on the nature of the building.
At the Gombe State University, the mamanagement of the institution had identified inadequate provision of hostel accommodation as one of the challenges affecting its operations.
Dr Hassan Bello, the Dean Students Affairs of the institution, said the institution allocated bed space only to the fresh intake and final year students due to lack of available spaces.
He said the school was charging N10, 000 per bed space.
“Only the first and final year students are entitled to accommodation in the hostel.
“This is because we have limited spaces, hence the allocation to only first and final year students.
“The wisdom behind this decision is that the first year students are beginners they do not know anywhere apart from the school,” he said.
According to him, the institution is currently constructing a female hostel, adding that project had reached advance stage.
Also, some students of the Modibbo Adama University (MAUTECH), Yola, had decried deplorable condition of the hostels in the school.
MAUTECH has four students accomodation comprising two males and two females hostels.
The students in a separate interview with NAN expressed concern over the poor maintenance of the facilities.
John Haruna and Atika Munkaila, 100 and 400 level students respectively, said that the hotsel accommodation in the university was not enough and the existing ones need total rehabilitation.
Haruna said the hostel accommodation was reserved only for the first and final year students, while the bulk of the students were living outside the campus.
“The hostel facilities such as toilets, bathrooms and rooms are in poor condition.
“We pay between N10,000 and N15,000 per bed space.
“Seven to eight students are allocated a room designed to accomodate only four students,” Haruna said.
In his response, Mr. Aminu Gurinpwa, the Information Officer of the university, said the university charged less fee per bed space compared to other institution in the country.
Gurinpwa said the university management was also making great effort to ensure effective maintenance of the hostels.
” For undergraduate students; a room of four persons, the university management charged only N5,000 per person per annum.
” While, for the Post Graduate students, a double room with toilet, kitchen and store is charged N40,000 per per annum for a student.
” Also, for single room with toilet a student is charged N30,000 per annum,” Gurinpwa said.
According to him, the university management is constructing additional hostels to ease the accommodation hardship being experienced by the students.
Also, some of the students who reside outside the campus, decried the exorbitant rent in the area.
“For one bedroom apartment with water supply, we are paying between N80,000 and N100,000 per annum.
“As a student, it is not easy to pay such amount and at the same time pay school fees.”
Similarly; students of the Yobe State University, Damaturu, have decried inadequate hostels, which they said affected academic activities.
Alhaji Dala Mohammed, the Financial Secretary, Students Union Government (SUG) of the institution said the accommodation fees were not exorbitant but inadequate to accommodate the number of the students.
He said the students pay N6,000 per bed space and in a room of about five students.
“The school management accorded special consideration in the allocation of the accommodation facilities to newly admitted and final year students.
“That is level one and level four students respectively and automatically exempt the students in level two and three due to the shortage of the facilities.”
He, therefore, enjoined the management of the school to hasten the commissioning and allocation of the new hostel facilities in the school.
Mohammed said the condition of the rooms in the hostel were partially good but some students make things worse for themselves.
“They did not mind to clean and keep it tidy. The hygiene condition of some of the rooms are not good due to the poor habit of some students.”
Another student, Sulaiman Iliyasu, said that the some of the students staying outside the campus paid between N35,000 and N100, 000 per annum for aroom depending on the quality, proximity and facilities in the house.
Iliyasu said most of the of the off-campus accommodation were for commercial purposes run by individuals and estate operators.
Responding, Hajiya Uwani Mamuda, the Information Officer of the University, said the school management had constructed new hostel to address accomidation problem.
Uwani said the project had been completed and would soon be inaugurated.
(NAN)