The management of the University of Lagos, UNILAG on 18th October explained why students staying on campus have been asked to come into the hostels with their beds and some other personal items, saying it is due to health reasons.
The justification came after the protest by parents, who grumbled that they were just struggling to cope with the recent increase in tuition, hostel, and other fees.
According to a report from Vanguard, the Head of the Information Unit of the varsity, Adejoke Alaga-Ibraheem, also said the hostels are being renovated before the students resume later in the month.
She was reacting to objections by parents and students that with the new fee regime introduced by the university, such items ought to be provided by the school.
Alaga-Ibraheem said: “We asked the students to come with their beddings for health reasons. That has been the practice for some time. It is not new. We are also working on the renovation of the various hostels. Some of them would be fully renovated before the students resume later in the month.
“Those whose renovation works might not be completed before the students resume, we are going to continue to work on them. We are working to make the hostels conducive for the students. As for the complaints that the hostel fees should be enough for the school to provide those items, we all know the situation in the country and the cost of the items. N65,000 for instance as a hostel fee for a year is not expensive going by what people pay for private accommodation.
The management is mindful of the welfare of the students and we are making all efforts to make their stay on campus comfortable.”
But reacting to the development, a parent who pleaded anonymity, lamented that: “UNILAG is becoming a secondary school where students are asked to come to school with their beddings. It’s unbelievable. This is a university that has just increased tuition and hostel fees.”
Remember that recently the management of the school increased obligatory fees including the hostel fee.
The hostel fee was originally increased from N25,000 to between N100,000 and N120,000 depending on the type of hostel.
Nevertheless, after a serious uproar by the students and parents, the hostel fees were reduced to between N65,000 and N85,000.
One of the private hostels near UNILAG, Emerald Suites, is N184,500 per bed space for a four-man room and N200,000 per bed space for a two-man room.
