The University of Lagos, UNILAG, has explained why students residing on campus have been ordered to bring their mattresses into the resident halls.
Alhaja Adejoke Alaga-Ibraheem, the Head of Information Unit of UNILAG, informed newsmen that it was for health concerns. She also mentioned that the halls were being repaired before the students returned later in the month.
She was responding to objections from parents and students that, under the university’s new tuition structure, such products should be provided by the school.
The UNILAG spokesman said: “We asked the students to come with their own bedding materials for health reasons. That has been the practice for some time. It is not new.
“We are also working on the renovation of the various hostels too. Some of them would be fully renovated before the students resumed later in the month.
“Those whose renovation works might not be completed before the students resume, we are going to continue work on them.
“We are working to make the hostels conducive for the students.
Concerning the criticism that the hostel costs should be sufficient for the school to supply certain products, we are all aware of the country’s circumstances and the cost of items.
“N65,000, for instance, as a hostel fee for a year, is not expensive going by what people pay for private accommodation.
“The management is mindful of the welfare of the students, and we are making all efforts to make their stay on campus comfortable.”
Remember that the school’s administration recently increased mandatory fees, including the hostel price.
Initially, the hostel cost was raised from N25,000 to between N100,000 and N120,000, depending on the type of hostel.
However, following intense student and parent protests, the hostel rates were dropped to between N65,000 and N85,000.
Emerald Suites, a private hostel near UNILAG, charges as much as N184,500 per bed space for a four-man room and N200,000 per bed space for a two-man room.
