The lack of accomodation in Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, is a major cause for concern as thousands of students are forced to resort to “illegal squatting”.
Current investigations revealed that the university’s hostels cannot accommodate up to 40 percent of the students’ population.
A check at the male hostel like the BAKASSI hall popularly known as the “survival of the fittest”, a room ordinarily meant for six students now accommodates 13 students.
Since the upgrading of the school’s website in 2012, securing accommodation for students became difficult, with most students over-clicking for a bed space. For instance, six or more students could click for a room meant for only three students.
This situation makes it difficult for hall administrators who are usually left with no choice than to convert the initial room of three into a room of four and also transfer some of the students to less occupied rooms.
The accommodation crisis also affected some final year students, particularly those who went for their (IT) Industrial Attachment Training during the registration period.
Regrettably, but expectedly, some students lucky to secure the bed space end up selling it to those who did not and can afford to pay handsomely to acquire a bed space.
Can this phenomenon be described as campus corruption? “Definitely”, a student answered.
Although, the management considers squatting and selling of bed space as offences, most guilty students are left with no choice. “They just have to break the rules for the sake of shelter,” another student enthused, adding: “I can say that the same situation obtains at every other university in Nigeria.”
Written by Usman a 400-level student of Mass Comm. at ABU, Zaria
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