Chapter Six
Conclusions and Recommendations
p. 109-115
Texte intégral
1When the University of Ibadan opened its doors to the first set of students in 1948, the goal was to make the university a residential university with all the associated advantages. This goal was pursued with religious tenacity until the late 1970s. The significance of the research being reported here is that student enrolment in the University of Ibadan (as in most of the other universities, polytechnics and colleges of education in Nigeria) has increased at a much faster rate than the number of bedspaces provided.
2During the oil boom of the 1970s, government placed priority on the acquisition of technical knowledge. In the bid to develop Nigeria technologically, more institutions of higher learning were built, facilities were provided and student housing and food were provided at no cost to the students. During this period, students who could not secure accommodation on the campus were paid an off-campus allowance. In the early 1980s, however, the Nigerian government, which was the main financier of the universities, misplaced its priorities and entered an era of financial recklessness. Instead of expanding the facilities of the existing universities and establishing just a few more, universities were established in most states of the federation. This stagnated development in the older universities like the University of Ibadan, and the emphasis placed on student housing became a thing of the past.
3The university authorities’ responses to the political and financial problems reported in this research, amounted to mere palliatives. The students’ reactions in the form of squatting and racketeering make the situation frightening and deserving of urgent action. The overall effect of squatting and racketeering is the overuse of facilities and a less than satisfactory academic, health and social environment for students.
4Given the above situation, could the university have averted the present problems and if not, what are the options available to the university to ameliorate the situation? These are some of the questions this study sought to answer.
5The history of the development of the halls of residence in the University of Ibadan (and other first generation universities in Nigeria) reflects the history of educational and political development in the country At the initial stages of educational development shoruy before and after independence, education was considered to be a veritable tool of development. Thus, the needs of the few universities were satisfied promptly. With the oil boom in the 1970s and the increasing partitioning of the country into more states in the late 1970s and 1980s, virtually all the states or regional blocks (of many states) wanted universities. Universities soon came to be regarded as a yardstick of progress and a means of attracting federal grants and agents of development. In addition, during the military era, which lasted a long while, the establishment of universities became a means of rewarding political cronies/favourites or dousing political dissent. Even though universities were administered by the NUC, the military authorities soon began to grant extra-budgetary allocations to favoured universities for specific purposes. The University of Ibadan benefited from this type of largesse to refurbish its antiquated water system.
6The reality of the emerging political structure and its policies was that the first generation universities could no longer monopolize government attention and favours. As a result, it was no longer possible for these universities to build new halls of residence to accommodate the increasing number of students.
7The consequences of UI not being a residential university have been analyzed in chapters three to five. Squatting and racketeering have been identified as the most visible effects of shortage of student accommodation. This is in addition to the constant breakdown of infrastructural facilities as a result of overuse. What is most likely to accompany these problems is antisocial behaviour and crimes such as stealing, rape, drug abuse, and increasing membership of secret societies. For example, halls with a high number of squatters are noted to be centres of student unrest or hooliganism. We discovered during our study that students of Azikiwe Hall (called Zikites) are usually associated with student unrest and this may be a function of their population. Many cases of anti-social behaviour have been reported by the university authorities, especially membership of secret societies. There have been incidences of squatters being invited to join such societies by their ‘landlords’, an offer that cannot be refused if the squatter wants to continue to enjoy the privilege of squatting. Some of the ‘landladies’ have also surreptitiously introduced their female ‘tenants’ to high-class prostitution.
8Despite these problems, students still prefer to stay in the halls of residence. The reasons, as shown in this study are economic and for convenience. For the off-campus students, the rent for a room ranges from N300.00 to N500.00 per month depending on how decent the house is in terms of facilities and cleanliness. The rent is paid on a monthly basis.
9Sometimes, affluent students team up in groups of three or four to rent a 3 bedroom flat with all the basic facilities. In Agbowo, the closest neighbourhood to the university, a 3- bedroom flat can be rented for between N 1000.00 and N3,000.00 per month. The rent is shared equally among the members of the group.
10It was observed that some students prefer off-campus accommodation to staying on campus. The reasons advanced for this were: high degree of privacy; optimum conveniences and security of property. Many married students prefer off-campus housing since none of the halls were built with married students in mind.
11For the majority of the students, however, off-campus housing is costly compared to the fees charged per session for accommodation in the university undergraduate and postgraduate halls of residence. Furthermore, staying off campus cuts one off from the university community socially and psychologically. The daily commuting to and from campus could also be tiresome. Perhaps more worrisome to the students who are forced to live off-campus is the irregular supply of facilities such as water and electricity.
12One other place where students seek accommodation on campus is the boys’ quarters of the university staff quarters. This is a favourite of most students. The boys’ quarters (popularly called BQ by students) combine the good qualities of on- and off-campus housing. The boys quarters allow for privacy, are more spacious, are located within the university, ensure security of property, and above all, are located in an environment where there is minimal noise. The amounts paid by students vary and depend on many factors. For example, some lecturers are interested in students who can stay in their boys’ quarters free of charge, but who are willing to take care of the surroundings. The students who are not given the quarters free pay N500.00 or more per month or as much as N25,000 per session. Some of the students that sell off their bedspaces in the halls may do so because they are able to secure a room in the staff boys’ quarters. The boys’ quarters available are limited and they can only house a few students.
13With the advantage of hindsight, it is possible to argue that the university did not take advantage of its location for future development. When the university was built, the entire area was heavily forested. With the establishment of the university, the area started to develop gradually. By the 1950s, it should have been apparent to the university that with the rate of development, there would soon be no chance to expand. That was the time when the university should have acquired the land opposite the university – the area now called Agbowo. This neighbourhood that has developed into a dense slum, lacking in almost all infrastructural facilities, is where most of the off-campus students and junior and intermediate staff of the university live.
14Had the university acquired this stretch of land, it would have been available for the University to use as the need arose With the increasing accommodation problems and lack of finance, the university could have invited private developers to build housing units for the students at a mutually agreed rent. This lack of foresight has robbed the university of the opportunity to develop off-campus housing at reasonable rates for students. At present there is no alternative to expensive off-campus housing. This is why there will continue to be a shortage of on-campus housing and why squatting and racketeering will continue to increase as student population increases.
15There are two options readily available to the university. The first, which will be the most welcome by the university and various hall administrators but which will not be acceptable to the federal government or even the parents of prospective students, is to admit only the number of students for which there are bedspaces. Annually, despite the many universities in the country, less than 60 per cent of all applicants gain admission to the universities. University education in Nigeria continues to be very competitive. The first generation universities, which have a reputation for academic excellence, are the most sought after and the University of Ibadan is in the forefront. This is why this option may not be agreeable to the government, the students or their parents.
16The second option is for the university to explore ways of increasing the number of bedspaces available in the halls of residence. Perhaps the most direct way to do this is to build additional halls of residences or add substantial number of blocks to the existing ones where possible. Although finance will be the main constraint to building new halls, the university can and should explore new avenues for sourcing money. The university could, as it has done before, launch endowment funds for building new halls; it could also appeal to corporate bodies or its alumni. Fortunately, the university has land within its confines and much of its ‘newly’ acquired land at Ajibode area has not been put to use.
17The university should not wait until it has a major crisis before it embarks on a serious programme of hall construction. As the university moves into the 21st century and as the manpower requirements of the nation increase, there will be increased pressure on the university to train more students. Unless there is a systematic programme of hall construction to provide additional bedspaces, the problem of squatting and critical accommodation shortages in the university may lead to graver consequences.
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