NUESA EXCLUSIVE:An open letter to Dean of Student’s Affairs (Uniabuja)

Dated: 1st February, 2023

Dean

Student Affairs Division

University Of Abuja 

Abuja.

Dear Sir,

THE POOR STUDENTS’ WELFARE IN HALLS OF RESIDENCE ALLOCATION IN UNIVERSITY OF ABUJA 

I am a student of this prestigious school, and I stay off campus due to the hoarding of the hall of residence space on the portal by some cafe operators and a few anointed students. Since on the 29th of January,2024, a newly admitted student of this university who has paid all hers fees traveled all the way from Benin 🇧🇯 Republic to Abuja to start lectures but was left stranded with the hall of residence booking issues. 

A lot of students are also facing this same issue,as our visit to the G. Abisogun Alo Hostel,mini Campus, revealed to us that many students have been sleeping on the hall of residence common room with no where to go even after paying their school fees. This is because they can not book their hostels on their portal except they pay an extra charges to this cyber-cafe operators. 

 

I humbly write to you on the grounds that I am sad with the poor students’ welfare in the allocation of the halls of residence which has been caused by the cyber-cafe operators and a few privileged students anointed by portal administrators to book hostels for the student at a very high rate to the tune of #150000 as against the #40000 memo shared by the school.

It is worrisome to know that since January 16th, 2024 when we (students) began the race towards securing bed space, it was like going through hell, from final year, balloting to year one procedures as some of us queued several times on our portal just to book hostel but to no avail as majority of the students can not book hostels on their portal successfully unless we pay extra charges, thereby leaving me with the question— is the comfort of the students really the priority of this oppressors or their personal gains?

It is pathetic and painful for us to realize that at this time of the semester, we still have many bed spaces available when so many of us were made to think initially that bed spaces had finished, one wonders why the school authorities were hoarding bed spaces initially during the booking. 

Sampled opinion shows that each student of this school who stays outside campus spent averagely N75,000 on transporting his/herself to and fro for lectures per semester.

It is pertinent that the University of national unity abhors any form of what I call “mass exploitation of students”. 

I personally and on behalf of my fellow students hereby plead with the school authority to hear the cry of many students squatting at ungodly locations due to their inability to book hostel and to also put an end to the cyber-cafe operators hoarding of hostel booking information and hiking of hostel prices for thr remaining allocations.

In leu of this,a stipulated price should be shared to all the cyber-cafe operators who are willing to help students book hostels.

               Yours in Vitória

                Ifesinachi Donald Udoka (ODOGWU)