By: Favour Ogundare

Some student residents of the Great Independence Hall of Residence, University of Ibadan, have decried what they described as “discriminatory” access to the hall’s Junior Common Room (JCR), IndyPress reports.

According to the student residents, the Junior Common Room within the hall appears to have been exclusively reserved for final-year students, executive members and a few selected student residents.

The students also voiced out concerns over what they described as the high-handed conduct of some final-year students within the hall, otherwise known as “elders,” who assert control over the front-row seats situated at the outer section of the hall’s Junior Common Room, compelling the non final-year student residents of the hall to vacate those seats whenever they occupy them.

Speaking to IndyPress, Adewale, a resident in the hall, described the development as unfair, discriminatory, and embarrassing.

“I believe that the JCR was refurbished by the alumni and it should be open to all Katangites. I think there should be a fair ground for everybody. That you are chasing me out when I want to enter is kind of discriminatory and embarrassing. I believe it should be accessible to everybody. When it was renovated, it was not mentioned that it is only finalists that will have access to it,” he said.

lending his voice to the development, Samuel, a Katangite, opined,  “I believe respect should go both ways. While it’s part of culture to offer seats to elders out of courtesy, it shouldn’t be expected/forced, especially if the younger person was there first and may also be tired. It’s better when the younger person offers the seat willingly”

He added, “The issue should be resolved by adopting a simple “first-come, first serve” rule, so that no student loses a seat unfairly. Respect for seniors should come through their behavior and mentorship, not by forcing juniors to give up space. Tradition can still be honored by creating other avenues such as recognition events or leadership roles that celebrate finalists without sidelining others. This balance would make the JCR both fair and inclusive.”

Another resident, Enitan, justified the development by the need to safeguard valuables in the JCR, but  condemned the manner in which some student residents are being denied its access.

“I believe the restriction may be because they want to protect the valuables in the room. But I don’t like the way they  chase some students whenever they want to enter the JCR,” he said.

Prior to the renovation of the Great Independence Hall Junior Common Room, it had always been accessible to all the student residents of the hall, irrespective of their academic levels.

Then, student residents often visited the Common Room to either watch football games or power up their mobile devices via a solar panel within the room, IndyPress gathered.

Since the completion of its renovation, accessibility to the Junior Common Room has been mostly restricted to the final-year students, executive members, and some few student residents in the hall, IndyPress observed.

In an interview with IndyPress, Peculiar Adedeji, the Administrator General of the Great Independence Hall of Residence, denied the development

“That I don’t believe.No one has been denied access to the JCR. Chased away from the seat? I have heard you and nice headline between,” Peculiar said.

Contrary to his claim, IndyPress had  observed instances where some final-year students in the hall, often referred to as ‘elders,’ compelled some student residents, known not to be in their final laps,  to vacate the front-row seats at the outer section of the Junior Common Room.

Efforts by IndyPress to obtain comments from the Speaker of Indy Hall Legislative Council (14th Assembly), Honorable Gbadebo David, regarding the position of the Council on the development were unsuccessful as of press time.

With the entry into the interior part of hall’s Junior Common Room being exclusive and non final-year students being compelled  to vacate the front-row seats situated at the outer section of the JRC, it raises concern about the disregard for the principle of equal accessibility that some student residents in the hall believe it should characterise.