Every student at the University of Ibadan knows the feeling of walking past a dustbin fraught with debris, spilling its contents onto the walkway, or entering a restroom only to be met with foul odours.

While academics, sports, and politics seem to be to be prioritized, sanitation remains a crisis looming over the university. Nowhere is this crisis more visible than in the overflowing dustbins and refuse dumps around the campus. In most cases, these bins are not disposed of promptly, attracting flies, cockroaches, rodents and other vermin.

During hot afternoons or after rains, the stench rises, causing students to feel uncomfortable and exposing them to health hazards. This coupled with litter strewn around gives the university a bad look.

What should be ideally characterized by vibrant spaces of learning and socializing has turned to unconducive and uncomfortable zones for students.

Beyond the discomfort, the health risks are significant. Piles of garbage provide breeding grounds for bacteria that cause cholera, dysentery, and food poisoning, and when the rains come, they clog drainages, setting the stage for flooding and mosquito infestations.

The current state of our toilet systems, the most basic facilities in any community, symbolises a gravity of sanitation deficit.

Many restrooms, both in our hostels and learning environments, have been marred by deplorable conditions, one that is a dismissal of student dignity. The restrooms are dirty, broken, and poorly maintained, with leaking taps, missing doors, and unflushed bowls that create an unbearable stench.

The consequences, to say the least, go beyond merely disgust. This lack of proper sanitation causes restrooms to turn to breeding grounds for disease. Typhoid, urinary tract infections and other such diseases are easily contracted from such deplorable environments.

Compounding the situation has been a poor drainage system Once the rainy season begins, gutters get clogged with plastic waste and food wrappers, which leads to the formation of stagnant pools of dirty water that take weeks to dry up.

The standing water becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes, leading to malaria infection that weaken students and cause many to miss classes. Together, these sanitation deficiencies form a chain reaction that erodes campus life. Students fall ill, and lecture absenteeism rises.

The physical discomfort is matched by a psychological one; litter-strewn walkways, stinking toilets, and stagnant gutters create an atmosphere of neglect, lowering morale and pride. Visitors, parents, and prospective students immediately notice the decay, and the institution’s image suffers.

The University might boast of the antecedent of academic excellence, but the fact remains that its environment reeks, suggesting an aberration of should exist in a public tertiary institution like ours.

The way forward is quite straightforward and relatively easy. Addressing refuse problems requires the provision of adequate bins and regular waste collection. This supported by a culture where students dispose of trash responsibly rather than litter them around the bins will strengthen the hygiene of the University

While the primary responsibility for a clean campus lies with the school management, a collaborative effort is necessary. The university’s leadership needs to take decisive action by enforcing existing waste management policies and creating stricter regulations if necessary; implementing effective waste disposal systems (this includes ensuring enough designated bins throughout campus, with clear signage on proper disposal and separation for recyclables). Crucially, this should also involve providing easily accessible and portable waste bins along walkways.

The school management can organize regular cleaning schedules and ensure their efficient execution and also invest in resources like providing adequate funding for proper waste management infrastructure and personnel.

Individual responsibility is equally crucial. Students and business owners must commit to responsible waste disposal by utilizing designated bins and avoiding littering and also reporting overflowing bins or improper disposal practices to the relevant authorities

Good Toilet systems demand a commitment to maintenance, with the employment of enough cleaning staff, frequent checks, and swift repairs when facilities are damaged. Students’ cooperation is also needed to keep the toilets in good shape by prioritizing their responsible usage.

Drainages must be cleared regularly, especially before and during rainy seasons. Furthermore, appropriate sanctions should be imposed on the perpetrators of the University’s health policies or regulations to serve as a deterrent to others.

Cleanliness on campus goes beyond hygiene, it is necessary to create a conducive environment for students and for staff, and also to bolster the image of the institution itself. An academic environment marred by overflowing bins, stinking toilets, and littered walkways cannot effectively discharge its core mandate.

However, when the university community commits to cleanliness, the rewards are enormous. Healthier students, more motivated staff, a beautiful environment, and a stronger reputation. It is high time the university management, student leaders, and students took sanitation as a major responsibility and not an afterthought.