By: Sonaike Peter

In most higher institutions, student governments play a critical role in addressing students’ welfare, and to advance their activities, students are often provided with dedicated or allocated infrastructure on campus. Similarly, at the University of Ibadan, the Students’ Union Building, named the Kunle Adepeju Memorial Building, is one such facility dedicated to UI students. Within the building are secretariats for various student associations, including the Students’ Union Executive Committee, the Students’ Representative Council (SRC), the Union of Campus Journalists (UCJ), and The Literary and Debating Society (TLDS), among others.

Also housed within the building are other facilities provided for students’ use, some of which include a reading room, as well as the Students’ Representative Chamber, where major student activities, such as SRC plenary sessions, take place and even toilets for students’ convenience. However, it has been observed that the toilets situated on the upper floor of SUB have been out of use for a while now. These restrooms have remained locked for over four months, forcing students to walk long distances to relieve themselves when nature calls. This is, in fact, not the first time that the toilet upstairs has been in such a sorry state. Time and time again in sessions past, this facility has mostly been inaccessible for the use of students, and when it was, students who intended to make use of it were met with not only an awful stench but, if they chose to push past the stench, a horrid sight.

In interviews with the UCJUI, some students shared their experiences about the state of the toilets. Since the toilets upstairs are locked, they are left with no option but to either walk far away to ease themselves when they are pressed or to pay between ₦100 and ₦200 to use the downstairs toilets still in the Students’ Union Building. The reports state that the toilet on the ground floor of the building has been commercialised, and both students and vendors now pay for its use. Stationed near the building’s entrance, a woman operating a passport business is in charge of collecting the fees, UCJUI observed.

Through The Lens Of The Student Users

Speaking to UCJUI, Kemi, a student and regular user of the SUB reading space, confirmed that the upstairs toilets have been locked for some time. According to her, the facilities had become unsanitary, pushing her and others to rely on the commercial toilet downstairs. When asked how much she was charged for the use of the toilet, she said she paid ₦100. However, she recalled a master’s student once told her that he paid ₦200 for the same facility.

“There is no toilet here. They have locked it up. People messed it up. But there is one downstairs which we pay for before using it. There is a woman downstairs running a passport business. We pay her. The last time I used it, I paid ₦100. But a master’s student told me he paid ₦200,” Kemi told UCJUI.

Another student, Toriola, told UCJ she also paid ₦100 for using the toilet facility. As a first-time user, she assumed the toilet was not originally intended for students but rather for the vendors operating at the SUB. “This is my first time using the toilet, and I paid #100. I thought the toilet was not for the students but for vendors,” Toriola told UCJ.

“I Have Once Used the Toilet Free of Charge” – A Vendor

Speaking to UCJ, a photographer operating at the Student Union Building confirmed the commercialisation of the toilet. He recalled having access to it free of charge in the past. Now, despite paying rent for his business space, he is charged ₦100 each time he uses the facility.

“I think the commercialisation is recent because I have used the toilet for free before but now, I’m made to pay #100 to use it,” he told UCJ.

Image showing the entrance of the commercialised toilet at SUB

Another vendor, who sells puff puff, shared a similar sentiment. He told UCJ that he previously made a monthly payment of #500 for the use of the toilet, but the fee has now doubled to #1000. According to him, he once advocated for the free use of toilets for the vendors, lamenting the futility of his efforts. “Yes, we pay. Before, we used to pay ₦500, but now it is ₦1000. What I observed is that maybe they are gathering the money for the maintenance of the toilets,” he told UCJ.

‘Team Auspicious’ Speaks on This

In an interview with UCJ, the Students’ Union General Secretary, Olowu Segun, claimed the toilet is not meant for student use. He explained that vendors are in charge of their maintenance, and the fees collected go towards upkeep.

“The toilet is not for the students. It is for the vendors. They are in charge of the toilet. They (the vendors) are the ones cleaning it personally. The money for its use and everything is for them.”

Corroborating the above, the Students’ Union House Secretary, Oluwaseun Adeyemi, also stated that the toilet is primarily for vendor use. He added that the money collected is used for its maintenance, as no one else is funding it.

“The toilet is for the Students’ Union, but the tenants are using it. They are the ones maintaining the toilet. Nobody is funding them. They are the ones using it. Like all the vendors… they contribute. Anyone who wants to use it pays a certain amount,” he told the press.

Though not directly stated, their response can easily be deduced to mean that they agree with the current state of things and do not see anything wrong with the vendors having control over the toilet, which is part of the Union’s property. This contravenes various provisions of the UI’SU constitution as to the maintenance and use of the property and facilities of the union.

Article V(6)(C) of the UI’SU constitution states that: ‘The house secretary shall be responsible for the maintenance of the Union Building and other properties of the Union.’

Article III (2)(a)(ii) of the UISU constitution provides that the Ordinary Members shall have the privilege to use the facilities provided by the Union.

The implication of the first provision is that the house secretary, and not the tenants, is supposed to maintain the student union building (and by extension all parts of it, including all the toilets). The vendors can now charge students for the use of the toilets downstairs while also controlling access to the said toilets because they have taken on the burden and duty that should, in the first place, be on the house secretary.

The second provision, on the other hand, gives ordinary members of the union (matriculated students) the privilege to use the facilities and properties of the union; hence, the claim that the downstairs toilet is not for the students but for the vendors is constitutionally unfounded.

Speaking on the current state of the upstairs restroom, Oluwaseun Adeyemi, the House Secretary, noted that it would be fixed soon. At the time the interview was conducted, he told UCJ he had contacted a repairman who failed to show up.

Image showing the entrance of the toilet situated upstairs at the Kunle Adepeju Building (SUB), University of Ibadan

UCJ’s Investigation

On June 30, 2025, this reporter visited the Students’ Union Building to make use of the commercialised toilet. Upon arrival, a woman at the entrance, who operates a passport business, demanded a ₦200 payment. When asked whether a mobile transfer would be accepted, she replied:“Transfer is not accepted. There is a POS over there. Go there and withdraw your money,” she said.

The reporter proceeded to withdraw ₦1,000 from a nearby POS outlet and returned. After collecting the payment, the woman handed over the toilet key to him, telling him he would receive his balance after using the facility.This reporter observed that the restroom contained three toilets. An elderly woman, likely the cleaner, followed in with a bucket of water. After use, the reporter returned for his change. Initially, the woman claimed she had no ₦800 balance and asked him to come back later. Eventually, the balance was returned.

Conclusion

UCJ can confirm that the SUB toilet has been commercialised. A woman stationed at the building’s entrance, who runs a passport business, collects fees ranging from ₦100 to ₦200 from both students and vendors. Some vendors also pay a monthly charge of #1000.

This development, however, raises serious concerns about transparency and accountability in how the collected funds are being managed and to whom they are being delivered. It also begs the question: Why are vendors who already pay rent for their business spaces charged extra for toilet use? More critically, why are students being denied free access to basic facilities in a building originally erected for their use and benefit while also considering that they get to pay their union dues every year

Editor’s Note:This piece was jointly published by the Union of Campus Journalists, UI and IndyPress Organization.