The road to a thriving, successful society begins with leadership that is both empathetic and attentive to the needs and predicaments of the people. At the heart of every true leader must be a desire and a resolve to alleviate the plight of his people and to make an impact in their lives.

Beyond goals and policies, those who are represented in the realm of governance long for a deep personal touch with their leader and a sense of belonging that brings the leader from the state house to their doorsteps. This includes both a deep concern for and responsiveness to the problems that plague the welfare of the people.

It is safe to say that leadership is all about the people. It begins with the people, continues with the people and ends with the people. In the words of Oprah Winfrey, “Leadership is about empathy. It is about having the ability to relate to and connect with people for the purpose of inspiring and empowering their lives.”

It is on the strength of these words we call the attention of the Dean of students to the myriad of the intentionally unaddressed challenges faced by students at the University of Ibadan.

Since time immemorial, students of the University have not been without any institutional weapon fashioned against their welfare. From fee concerns, accommodation dilemma to academic struggles and victimization, the experience, for students who can tell, has always been a clear dismissal of their dignity.

The office of the Dean of Students is created for the students. It is meant to serve nothing but the interest of the students and it is on this lighter note that the University, through its Students’ Affairs Division, must re-evaluate its commitment to the  student welfare.

Accommodation concerns

The state of hostels in the University of Ibadan is one that is not unknown but yet a  serious cause for alarm.

The struggle, as it is not opaque, often starts from securing accommodation within the school residential halls of residence. According to Infostatistic 2022/2023 Hall of Residence statistics, University of Ibadan accommodates approximately 31% of its female undergraduate students and 41% of its male undergraduate students.

Due to the  current shortage of hostels, students are forced to look for residential apartments outside school, many of which are exorbitant, substandard and unsafe. As a result, students have been victims of   exploitation by house agents and landlords who take undue advantage on their desperation to secure accommodations by all means.

Still, those who are able to secure accommodation in the school hostels  struggle with poor facilities such as unstable water supply, erratic electricity, faulty electrical appliances, missing louvers, doors without locks, unhygienic hostel environment, leaky sewage system, bed-bugs infestation among  others.

Equally troubling is the fact that increment in the hostel fees does not correspond to the quality of the residential accommodation that  students deserve. Yet,  the University continues to lease the school land for private hostels which only the children of the rich can afford, instead of investing in the construction of  more public hostels to address the accommodation crisis

To even make matter worse, some halls of residence have already begun converting kitchenettes to rooms, despite the development being in contravention to the ethics governing halls of residence as contained in the University’s Handbook which clearly states that the conversion of kitchenettes to rooms is prohibited and punishable by ejection.

A kitchenette is ideally meant to serve as a cooking space. However, the careless and unhygienic state of most kitchenettes in our hostels discourages students from making use of them.  Apart from being assigned  kitchenettes as rooms, students are also required to  carry out some necessary repairs before they are allowed to live in the rooms.

The fault of this often rests on the Hall Wardens who do not make proper assessments of the  rooms available in the hostels before issuing accommodation to students and the concerned student leaders who have chosen to remain silent in the face of the aberration.

Inconsistent power or electricity supply is also one of the major issues students have had to battle against. The reason why students naturally prefer school hostels to off-campus hostels is to avoid  situation like erratic power supply.

However, the current Inconsistent electricity in the University serves  as a major challenge to students, preventing them from engaging in productive activities that are integral to their academic success. Halls, especially Queen Idia, Great Independence, Nnamdi Azikwe and Obafemi Awolowo Halls of Residence, sometimes go days without light due to transformer issues or other electrical faults. As a result of this, students are  often seen filling places like Access Bank and other eco-friendly locations in a bid to power up their gadgets.

Following the issue of inconsistent electricity is the lack of water supply. Due to unavailability of water in the school, It becomes difficult  for students to get water to bathe, use the toilet or cook. In their uncultured manner, some students make use  of  the hostel toilets without flushing,  leaving the whole environment  fetid. Some, who are considerate, have to walk long distances to places like Jaja  Clinic or Access Bank to fetch water to use. The disheartening thing about this is that this situation does not always happen until it is the examination period.

Another burning issue is the school’s insistence on the use of a stove for cooking in hostels. The cost of kerosene is a major concern among the students. The cost of foodstuffs , on the other hand, is also high and now getting to buy kerosene to cook the food compounds the whole issue.

Fee, academic and health Concerns 

The increment in the school fees is a major challenge for students in the University of Ibadan. Following the removal of  subsidy by the Federal government under Tinubu’s administration, several higher institutions in the country, including University of Ibadan, increased tuition fees, undermining the sanctity of public education.  The sudden increase in fees has forced some students to either defer their admissions, take on side hustles or rely on student loans just to remain in school. Situations like this are bound to have consequential effects on their grades and overall academic performance. Despite being a concern, the past and Students’ Executives have perpetually failed to address it. Instead of revolting against the commercialization of public education, some of them have  even preached the idea of student loan to students, describing it as a panacea to high cost of public education.

Besides the fee concerns is the University’s eleven-week academic calendar. The University of Ibadan has long been known for its rigorous academic standard. However in recent years, the academic calendar has become uncomfortably fast. Instead of the usual 13 weeks which the University initially adopted,  the calendar has been reduced to 11 weeks. The effect of such a fast-paced calendar on the students is apparent. Students move from one exam season to the next with little recovery time. Lectures are compressed to meet the new calendar limit with students being overloaded with materials without proper comprehension of what they are taught. Worst still, some lectures are often cancelled  with some lecturers not turning up for lecturers till sometimes 7-8 weeks of the semester. This, of course, has  resulted in poor academic performance among the students.

The state of health service in the University of Ibadan, particularly at the Jaja Clinic is another big concern that is overlooked. Time and time again,  Students complain of long queues and delayed attention from medical practitioners in the clinic.

They sometimes have to wait for hours just to see a doctor or obtain prescribed drugs. Another major complaint from students is the unprofessional attitude of some health workers manifesting in rude responses or poor medical services to students. This has discouraged some students from seeking medical treatment at the clinic. While we cannot entirely blame the health workers, the clinic itself struggles with insufficient medical facilities. Basic diagnostic tools are either unavailable or faulty, forcing students to seek treatment off-campus at a high risk.

Student Victimization 

University is meant to be a place where opposition to ideas and policies is tolerated. But unfortunately, the reverse has always been the case at the University of Ibadan. The University has a track record of suppressing students who challenge its unpopular policies. It is an infringement on fundamental human rights and dismissal of   student democracy that the University suspended Mide Gbadegesin and Ayodele Aduwo only for their involvement in a peaceful protest against the systemization of fee Increment.

By suspending the students, the message that the University relayed  is clear. That students are nothing to write about despite a university being ideally characterized by tripartite: the management, workers and students.

Independence of the Union 

It is a big and apparent concern that our Union is not independent. On no account should our Union Constitution be drafted by the management. Also, on no account should our election be chaired by the Deputy Registrar (Students) while our faculties and departments conduct their elections without the interference from  management. The autonomy of our Union is sacrosanct as it is the only means through which the interests and welfare of the students can be championed.

Our Recommendations

Still, all is not lost. The situation can still be redeemed.  Regarding the accommodation issue, the University management should invest in construction  of more public hostels to address the limited residential accommodation.

Additionally, the  accommodation process should also be transparent and free from favoritism or bias. There should be regular, periodic repairs and replacement of the facilities used in the hostels. The prevalence of converting kitchenettes to rooms has to stop. Our kitchenettes should be revamped to make it fit for cooking.

The University should invest in alternative energy sources such as solar power especially for lecture rooms, libraries and hostels. Given that University of Ibadan is a public tertiary institution, the management must begin to deem it fit to  join students in fighting against the commercialization  of public education. Management should also prioritize public transparency in how fees are used to build trust among the  students.

There should be a review and restructuring of the 11-week academic calendar to allow adequate time for lectures, revision and break periods. Lecturers should be encouraged to keep to the time for lectures in order to ensure that students adequately understand what they are taught. The reason some of these lecturers have not been committed to their duties is because they are poorly remunerated. Hence, our lecturers should be given the better remuneration they deserve.

The University health system should be properly equipped with the provision of modern medical facilities. There should be an increase in the number of medical personnel, especially doctors employed in the University Health Center to reduce delays and  enhance the quality of health services to students. Digital appointment services or telemedicine initiatives can also be employed to ensure effective access to doctors.

For an institution like University of Ibadan which prides itself in excellence, it is only rational that necessary steps are  taken to resolve these issues. Issues like these affect not only the academic performance of students but their all-round development.

Ensuring a safe, comfortable and conducive living environment is a fundamental requirement for nurturing the great minds that University of Ibadan has often claimed to have produced.

Our Dean of Students, we address these concerns to you with utmost respect and dignity to your office and we do hope that you will critically look into these issues and take the necessary steps to tackle them.

Our dear Dean of Students, remember “The Font”.