The management of the University of Lagos, UNILAG, has explained why students staying on campus have been asked to come into the halls of residence with their mattresses.
The Head of Information Unit at UNILAG, Alhaja Adejoke Alaga-Ibraheem, told Vanguard that it was for health reasons.
Also, she added that the halls were being renovated before the students would resume later in the month.
She was reacting to complaints by parents and students that with the new fee regime introduced by the university, such items ought to be provided by the school.
The UNILAG spokesman said: “We asked the students to come with their own beddings 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 resume 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. As for the complaints that the hostel fees should be enough for the school to provide those items, we all know the situation in the country and the cost of items.
“N65,000 for instance, as 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.”
New fees regime
Recall that recently the management of the school increased obligatory fees including hostel fee.
The hostel fee was initially increased from N25,000 to between N100,000 and N120,000 depending on the type of hostel.
However, after serious agitation by the students and parents, the hostel fees were reduced to between N65,000 and N85,000.
One of the private hostels near UNILAG, Emerald Suites, charges as much as N184,500 a bed space for a four-man room and N200,000 a bed space for a two-man room.
