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I’m not sure where the university motto stands in the grand scheme of academia, but as a student, I know I’ll want it to inspire the shit out of me to chase that first class bag.
We took a look at what the wordsmiths in Nigerian public universities got up to, and let’s just say, it’s time for a revamp.
UNIBEN: Knowledge for service
Something about this motto sounds transactional. It’s giving “Come and learn to be a servant of capitalism”.
UNICAL: Knowledge for service
Serious question. Who is copying who between UNICAL and UNIBEN?
LASU: For truth and service
Service won injure Nigerian students. God, abeg.
EKSU: Knowledge, honour, service
Could it be that the heavy servitude gospel is why Nigerian lecturers move like small gods?
DELSU: Knowledge, character and service
Might break down if I see another motto that speaks to servitude.
LAUTECH: Excellence, integrity and service
Okay, can we ignore the call to servitude and appreciate their excellence and integrity agenda?
UNILORIN: Learning and character
I feel very uninspired reading this. Doesn’t spark joy at all.
University of Nigeria: To restore the dignity of man
LMAO. Why does this straight up look like it belongs in our national anthem?
UNIABUJA: For unity and scholarship
Something about the scholarship in this motto makes me think the students are in academic opportunity heaven.
UNIOSUN: Living spring of knowledge and culture
Oduduwa will be pleased, I guess.
UNILAG: In deed and in truth
This one low-key gives blood covenant vibes. But I like it.
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Kwara State University: …the Green University for community development and entrepreneurship
The green university? What does that even mean? Anyway, yes to minting entrepreneurs.
FUTA: Technology for self-reliance
This actually bangs considering the school has a mandate to mint tech bros and sis.
OAU: For learning and culture
A part of my brain is screaming “Do it for the culture”. Is this how OAU students feel too?
UI: Recte sapere fons
Why does this sound like something from Harry Potter? Anyway, it means, “To think straight is the fount of knowledge”.
OOU: Excellentia humana et patriae opus
We have another Harry Potter-esque entry all the way from Ogun state, Nigeria. It means, “Flowering of human abilities and service to the fatherland”.
UNIJOS: Discipline and dedication
I’m reading this and can’t stop thinking about D-Square. As in, P-Square. It slaps, right?
It wasn’t up to a year ago when Cyril Osim Ndifon, a professor of law at UNICAL was called out for sexually assaulting and being a general terror to his female students for years.
This revelation and a 2023 of back-to-back sexual harassment exposures led us to put together a timeline that went back to the early 2000s with more than 20 high-profile cases, mostly students as victims of their lecturers’ inappropriate advances and often ending in silence.
Another sex-for-grades situation
On May 26, 2024, X user CHIKAMMA (@AlexVivyNnabue) called out her former UNIBEN philosophy lecturer, Dr Tony Asekhuno, accusing him of rape. Her tweet opened the floodgates of accusations from the lecturer’s other alleged victims.
According to their tweets, he’d fail his victims if they refused to date, get intimate with him or follow him to the “staff club”. And sometimes, he’d rape them.
He was called out five years ago
But CHIKAMMA’s call-out started years ago when she posted a thread of screenshots in 2019. The screenshots appear to be WhatsApp messages sent from a male friend who was forced to drop out. The same lecturer insisted on sex for grades, hinting that his harassment wasn’t limited to his female students.
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The long thread also details his inclination to spike students’ drinks. And apparently, the UNIBEN management was aware of his bad behaviour but did nothing.
Many more accusations
In the last three days, multiple X users have shared their experiences of varying levels of abuse from the lecturer. The public has called for further investigation by the relevant law enforcement and justice for the victims.
We have contacted the original accuser, CHIKAMMA, for more details to increase the chances of legal action. This is a developing story.
Looking to pursue a degree in medicine at a government-owned institution? This article has a list of federal universities in Nigeria and their cut-off marks for medicine. For some universities, the cut-off mark is the derived figure after the addition and division of the UTME, post-UTME, and O’level scores.
Now, let’s get it.
University of Lagos (UNILAG)
Established in 1962 and situated in Akoka, Lagos, UNILAG is one of the highly sought-after federal universities in Nigeria. Medical students undergo their studies at the College of Medicine, Idi-Araba, Lagos, which also houses the university’s teaching hospital. UNILAG offers a program in medicine and surgery.
Cut-off
UNILAG has not announced the cut-off mark for the 2024/2025 period. The cut-off mark for the 2023/2024 session was 84.675
University of Ibadan
Popularly known as Nigeria’s premier university, UI was established in 1948. The main campus is located in Agbowo, Ibadan, the capital of Oyo state. Medical students undergo their program at the University College Hospital (UCH) in Agodi. UI offers an undergraduate program in medicine and surgery.
Cut-off
The university hasn’t released the official cut-off mark for the 2024/2025 academic session. The cut-off for the 2023/2024 intake was 79.
Federal University, Lokoja
Established in 2011 and commonly known as FUL, this university is situated in the city of Lokoja, the capital of Kogi State. In 2023, the university made the Times Higher Education 2023 Sub-Saharan African Ranking. FUL offers an undergraduate program in medicine and surgery.
Cut-off
The cut-off mark for medicine and surgery in the 2023/2024 admission exercise was 70% of UTME. The university is yet to announce the new-cut mark for the 2024/2025 admission session.
University of Benin (UNIBEN)
UNIBEN is a government-owned university established in 1970. It was formerly known as the Midwest Institute of Technology before a name change in 1971. UNIBEN is among the public universities that offer a degree in medicine and surgery.
Cut-off
Regardless of the course of study, prospective students are expected to have a UTME score of 200 for eligibility to write the school’s post-UTME. Each department then sets its individual score, but the cut-off isn’t publicly available.
University of Ilorin
UNILORIN ranks among one of the best government-owned institutions in Nigeria. It was established in 1975 and located in Ilorin, Kwara’s capital. The institution offers a program in medicine and surgery and has a university teaching hospital where medical students undergo training.
Cut-off
The institution hasn’t announced the official cut-off mark for the 2024/2025 academic admission exercise. However, for the 2023/2024, prospective students required an average score of 180 and above to be eligible to write the post-UTME exercise for their course of study.
University of Jos (UNIJOS)
Commonly known as UNIJOS, this is a government-owned university established in 1971. The main campus is situated in Jos, Plateau state. The university offers an undergraduate program in medicine and surgery. Medical students undergo training at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH).
Cut-off
UNIJOS hasn’t made an official announcement of its cut-off mark for the 2024/2025 intake. However, the general UTME cut-off for the last admission exercise was pegged at 180. Note that prospective students seeking admission into medicine and surgery also need to meet some other requirements as determined by the university.
Get a free ticket to Strings Attached and enjoy a feel-good evening of music, dancing and games at Muri Okunola Park, Lagos on May 11, 2024.
Nnamdi Azikiwe University
Also known as UNIZIK or NAU, this public university was established in 1991. The main campus is situated in Awka, the capital of Anambra state, while it has another campus in Nnewi. UNIZIK offers a program in medicine and surgery. Medical students undergo their training at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Teaching Hospital.
Cut-off
The university hasn’t announced the cut-off mark for the 2024/2025 admission round. The last cut-off the university made publicly available for medicine and surgery was at an aggregated (UTME, post-UTME, and O’levels) 310.5
Usman Dan Fodio University
Known as UDUSOK, the university, named after Usman dan Fodio, the founder of the Sokoto Caliphate, is one of four universities established by the Nigerian government in 1975. It’s a public research institution located in Sokoto state. It offers an undergraduate degree in medicine and surgery. Medical students undergo training at the Usman Dan Fodio University Teaching Hospital.
Cut-off
As of the 2022/2023 admission exercise, the cut-off mark for medicine and surgery was set at 290. The university hasn’t announced the cut-off mark for the 2024/2025 session.
University of Uyo
The federal government established this university in 1991. It was merged with the former University of Cross River State, earlier established in 1983. The university, which is located in Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom, offers a program in medicine and surgery. Medical students receive training at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital.
Cut-off
The university isn’t known to set cut-off marks. Admission is based on the candidate’s performance and NUC quota. UNIUYO has an NUC admission quota of 120 students, as such candidates with the highest UTME scores are considered for merit admission.
University of Calabar
UNICAL was formerly a campus of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, before it was established as a standalone university under the National Higher Education Expansion Programme of 1975. It’s one of the highly-ranked government-owned institutions in eastern Nigeria. The university offers a program in medicine and surgery and trains its medical students at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital Anambra.
Cut-off
The university hasn’t announced the cut-off mark for the 2023/2024 admission session. 260 was set as UTME score cut-off for medicine and surgery during the 2021/2022 admission round.
Bayero University
This university is an offshoot of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. It formerly operated as the Abdullahi Bayero College before it was upgraded to the status of a full-fledged university by the federal government in 1977. Bayero University offers a degree in medicine and surgery. Medical students undergo training at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital.
Cut-off
The university hasn’t announced the official cut-off mark for the 2024/2025 admission exercise. However, as of 2021/2022, the UTME cut-off mark for the faculties of clinical sciences and pharmaceutical sciences was 220 and above.
Fashion was clearly not in the room when Nigerian public universities sat down to discuss their options for convocation gowns.
I had time on my hands today and decided to rank 15 of the best ones I could find.
Let’s get into it.
15. Osun State University
Photo source: X
The only thing I can say here is that there are like 20 private and secondary schools with this exact convocation gown.
14. Olabisi Onabanjo University
Photo source: Photochronicles Studios
Replace the blue lining with yellow and you might have the graduands disguised as UNIOSUN students. Is there any effort going into these gown designs?
13. University of Ilorin
Photo: Tribune Online
If you go outside your house right now and scream “low-effort” three times, this gown will appear in your kitchen. Do with this info what you must.
12. Obafemi Awolowo University
Photo source: Geophotography.com
Another navy blue? At this point I honestly need to ask. What the heck is going on?
11. Federal University of Technology, Akure
Photo source: FUTA
I guess another shade of blue is a pleasant sight for sore eyes.
10. Ahmadu Bello University
Photo: Facebook
Not gonna lie, this one is here because I’ve never been so happy to see green in my life. I also rate their decision to go with a single dominant colour.
9. Imo State University
Photo source: Nairaland
The red custom hood is giving something about Christmas church decor that I can’t shake. But yes, they also make it to this spot in the list just because they’re not affiliated with any shade of blue.
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8. Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomosho
Photo source: EmmanuelPixels
If you can ignore the chaotic lemon and purple thing going on, they get a B- for daring to be different.
7. Ekiti State University
Photo source: X/@imotivateafrica
In case you haven’t already noticed, the choice of colour is an important, albeit by accident, criterion for this list since most schools move like blue fabric is the only one in the market. EKSU gets a B+ for this combo.
6. University of Ibadan
Photo source: UNIBADAN
More navy blue for my already tired eyes.
5. University of Benin
Photo source: UNIBEN
They kinda ate with this. Or are my eyes deceiving me? Because lilac and purple is an elite combo.
4. Bayero University
Photo source: Bayero University
When I want to look at it, my head will be headaching me. Let’s just agree they made it this far up the list because my eyes were slightly closed. Also, we already agreed to rate people with uncommon colours, right?
3. Federal University of Agriculture, Funaab
Photo source: Philadlhaevents
It’s heavy on primary colours but I think this gown gives a chance for stylish students to shine.
2. University of Lagos
Photo source: UNILAG
UNILAG can disguise all they want. We can agree the only reason their convocation gown looks like IT is because their students are stylish AF. But we’re still judging the yellow and wine combo sha.
1. University of Port Harcourt
Photo source: KayeVisuals
A Nigerian university with a black graduation gown? You’ll have to unalive my enemies to make me remove UNIPORT from this spot. They ate, swallowed and shat convocation high fashion. I have no choice but to stan!
Have you had enough of ASUU’s strike? Are you fed up with lecturers who double as mini-gods? What about hostels that are like prison yards and non-academic staff who stress your life? If you check any of the boxes above, it’s time to find a list of the private universities in Nigeria and choose where to port to.
We’ll get you started with some of the most popular ones.
Covenant University
This Christian university often gets dragged as an advanced secondary school because of its stringent rules. However, graduates from the school are usually in high demand from employers.
Student population
The university has a population of about 6000-8500 students.
Owner
Covenant University was founded by Bishop David Oyedepo, under the ownership of the Living Faith Church.
Location
The university has its only campus in Ota, Ogun State.
Founding date
The institution was founded in October 2002.
Does it offer medicine & surgery?
During the institution’s 17th convocation ceremony in January 2023, Oyedepo announced plans to commence medicine and law programmes. It might still take some years before the programmes commence in full swing.
Fees range from ₦975,000 to ₦1.1m depending on level and course of study.
Popular Alumni
Gloria Oloruntobi AKA Maraji, Mimi Onalaja, Simi and Ric Hassani
Babcock University
This is another popular Christian university with a lot of rules in place to check students.
Student population
The university has a population of about 10,000-14000 students. It matriculated a total of 3267 in the 2022/2023 session.
Owner
Babcock is owned by the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Nigeria.
Location
The university has its only campus in Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State.
Founding date
The institution was established in September 1999.
Does it offer medicine & surgery?
Babcock University offers a programme in medicine and surgery
Other Courses
Other courses available at the university can be found here
Average tuition fee
Fees range from ₦775k to ₦989k depending on level and course of study.
Popular Alumni
Davido, Beverly Osu, Olumide Oworu, Buju and Priscilla Ojo
Pan Atlantic University
It’s one of the best private universities in Nigeria for people looking for a solid master’s degree without going through the struggle of japa. PAU is also known for its graduate school, Lagos Business School, offering management courses to business enthusiasts and executives.
Student population
The university has a population of about 1000-2000 students. It matriculated 524 students in January 2023, the highest number of intakes since it was established.
Owner
The university is owned by the Pan-Atlantic University Foundation (PAUF), a non-profit foundation registered in Nigeria.
Location
Pan Atlantic University’s main campus is located at Km 52, Lekki-Epe Expressway, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos state. The university has a second campus in Lekki.
Founding date
The institution was established in 2002.
Does it offer medicine & surgery?
PAU doesn’t offer medicine and surgery at the moment.
Other courses
Other undergraduate and postgraduate programs can be found here.
Average tuition fee
Fees range from ₦2.8m to ₦3.8m depending on level and course of study.
Popular Alumni
Nollywood actress Kemi Lala Akindoju, and media executive, Gbemi Olateru Olagbegi
Redeemers University
Redeemer’s University Nigeria is an offshoot of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG). In 2013, the institution emerged as the best-rated university among 15 prestigious universities selected from West and Central Africa in the bid for the establishment of African Centres of Excellence.
Student population
The private institution has a population of about 3000-4000 students. A total of 2293 students matriculated in the 2022/2023 session.
Owner
Redeemers University was founded by the management of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) under the leadership of its general overseer, Pastor Enoch Adeboye.
Location
Redeemers is located in Akoda, Ede, Osun State.
Founding date
The institution was founded in 2005.
Does it offer medicine & surgery?
This school doesn’t offer medicine and surgery but has other basic science courses like physiotherapy, human anatomy and nursing science.
Other courses
Find other available programmers at Redeemers University here.
Average tuition fee
Fees range from ₦582k to ₦1.4m depending on level and course of study.
This is one of the earliest private universities established in Nigeria. Bowen prides itself as the largest Baptist university on the African continent.
Student population
The university has a population of about 4000-5000 students.
Owner
Bowen University was founded by members of the Nigerian Baptist Convention.
Location
The university is located in Iwo, Osun State.
Founding date
The institution was founded in 2001.
Does it offer medicine & surgery?
The institution offers a degree programme in medicine and surgery.
It’s among the first set of Islamic private universities in Nigeria. It’s also a great choice for students majoring in Islamic studies. It has degree and PhD programmes in Arabic and Islamic Studies.
Student population
The university has a population of over 7000 students
Owner
The university was founded by Abdur-Raheem Oladimeji Islamic Foundation
Location
The university’s main campus is located at Adewole Housing Estate along Adeta Road, Ilorin, Kwara state. It also has campuses in Igbaja and Atere.
Founding date
Al Hiqmah was established in 2005.
Does it offer medicine & surgery?
The school doesn’t offer this course but has other health science courses like medical laboratory science, nursing and physiology.
Fees range from ₦300k to ₦1.3m depending on the level and course of study.
Joseph Ayo Babalola University
Also known as JABU, this is a privately owned Christian university in Osun state. It is named after the first spiritual father of the Christ Apostolic Church, Joseph Ayo Babalola, who died in 1959. It is the first entrepreneurial university in Nigeria.
Fees range from ₦670,000 to ₦1.5m depending on the level and course of study.
American University of Nigeria
Except if you live under the rocks, you must have heard of the American university in Nigeria owned by a former vice president and presidential candidate. The institution prides itself as Africa’s first development university.
Student population
The university has a population of about 1000-2000 students.
Owner
Former vice-president, Atiku Abubakar, established the American University of Nigeria.
Location
The university is located at 98 Lamido Zubairu Way Yola Township bypass, Yola, Adamawa State.
Fees range from ₦1.1m to ₦1.9m depending on level and course of study.
Popular Alumni
30BG’s Tunji Adeleke
Lead City University
This is one of the most popular private universities in Ibadan, Oyo state. The same city also houses the first university in Nigeria, University of Ibadan.
Student population
The university has a population of about 4000 students.
Owner
Lead City University is owned by Prof. Jide Owoeye.
Location
The school is located at Oba Otudeko Avenue, Toll-Gate Area, Ibadan, Oyo state.
Fees range from ₦1.2m to ₦5.9m depending on level and course of study.
Novena University
It’s one of the top private universities in Nigeria’s southsouth. It also holds the record of being the first private university established in Delta state.
Student population
The university has a population of about 1000-2000 students.
Owner
Novena University is owned by Chuks Ochonogor through his company, Prowess Management & Technical Services Limited.
Location
Novena University is located in Ogume, Kwame, Delta state.
Founding date
The institution was established in 2005.
Does it offer medicine & surgery?
Novena University offers a degree programme in medicine and surgery.
In August 2023, the University of Ilorin management cut down at least a dozen trees, presumably to make the university safer. A few weeks earlier, a heavy storm had uprooted trees on campus, which in turn fell on and destroyed buildings.
Subsequently, the university took down trees located near any structure. These trees had existed for decades before the structures.
Across Universities in Nigeria, UCJ Unilorin discovered a pattern of development that doesn’t adequately consider the environmental impact of new buildings and structures. To set up university buildings that span hundreds of acres of land, government and education authorities have to drop trees and sometimes relocate the previous settlers.
Students of these federal universities reported that tree-falling has only increased.
The environmental price of education
Established in 1948, the University of Ibadan is the first university in Nigeria. The university is home to numerous infrastructure, including halls of residence.
Seventy-five years into its existence, the University of Ibadan no longer has any sizable forest cover — they’ve been either cleared or fragmented to make way for the construction of lecture theatres, banking halls, and other structures.
Satellite imagery showing University of Ibadan in 2008
Current satellite imagery of the University of Ibadan shows that buildings have increased and forest cover has decreased.
Per the students, the university’s objective is to build and improve its infrastructure, so they must clear the land to install buildings.
“Although there are afforestation projects, the percentage of reforestation can never compare to the rate of deforestation,” Fabiyi said. “It takes years to grow a tree, but you can cut a hundred trees in one day.”
Another student of the University of Ibadan, Baliqeez Adebisi, a student of Forest resource management, told UCJ Unilorin that she thinks the university management could be more proactive.
“Once, a big tree in front of the university bookshop, which is as old as the university, was cut down. Shortly after, a heavy storm blew off the roof of the University Bookshop. Half of the bookshop became dilapidated.”
More recently, there was an entire caterpillar infestation at Heritage Park, University of Ibadan. Almost all the trees there became defoliated for weeks, but nobody paid attention until students noticed.
“When these trees dry up, they’ll eventually fall,” Adebisi said, “It is a caterpillar that develops into a moth species, and it’s a pest that’s endemic to West Africa.”
About 177 kilometres from Ibadan is University of Ilorin in Kwara state. The University sits on approximately 15,000 hectares of land with a population of over 50,000 people.
In its 10th consecutive year as the most sought-after higher institution, the university continues to invade land cover to allow human habitation due to its ever-increasing population.
University of Ilorin in 2008
University of Ilorin in 2023
In various interviews with students on the campus, they affirmed the rash effects of deforestation occurring intermittently in the community.
According to the president of the Students Association of the Department of Forestry, Muktar Abdulquadir, wildlife has had to scamper around as their original habitat has been destabilised. This poses the danger of extinction to these animals and the risk of animal attacks on the campus inhabitants.
“I vividly recall seeing squirrels on my way around school During my 100 level days. But now I rarely see them. I have also noticed a general decrease of diversity of tree species generally on campus in the course of my project.”
For his final year project, Muktar is documenting the characteristics of different tree species on campus to help identify these species. During his work, he discovered some species he should have worked on because they were available on campus have now been cut down. As a result, he has had to venture deep into the forest in search of them.
Like other universities, the University of Lagos also has a long history of deforestation and perhaps employs the most rash approach. Although there is no adequate information on the number of trees lost to deforestation in the university, the effects are telling on the entire campus community, particularly on students working on their final year project and having to identify various species in their work.
For instance, a student of Unilag who did not want to be identified told UCJ UNILORIN that she encountered issues while searching for Mona Monkeys in the forest area of the school — hostels have now replaced the mangrove forest — the monkeys’ habitat.
“They are in sparse now, unlike before when they could be easily found in large numbers,” she said
University of Lagos in 2008
The University of Lagos now.
Opeoluwa Ayomide, an alumnus of the university told UCJ Unilorin that during her stay at the university, “the air felt different.” She mentioned that the temperature had increased, and the air had unnatural smells.
“UNILAG students know that the air we breathe on campus is different; it doesn’t have the freshness it used to have. The campus has become so hot, like we are close to the sun, the trees that served as shade are no longer as much as they used to be,” Ayomide said.
Nigeria loses 350,000 to 400,000 hectares of forest every year. A report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO (2010) on deforestation trend in Africa revealed that Nigeria has lost more of its forestland within the last fifty years, making it one of the countries with the highest rate of deforestation in the world.
Deforestation has far-reaching consequences
According to the United Nations, Nigeria has one of the highest rates of deforestation in the world. Globally, tropical deforestation contributes to 20% of annual greenhouse gas emissions.
According to the CO2meter, a typical tree can absorb 48 pounds of carbon dioxide annually. This means it will eliminate approximately 1 ton of carbon dioxide emissions by the time it reaches 40 years old. However, “on average, human activity puts about 40 billion tons of CO2 into the air each year. This means we would theoretically have to plant 40 billion trees every year.”
According to Tijesunimi Agbaje, an environmental specialist at Global Landscapes Forum, a knowledge-led platform for sustainable land use, human activities such as transportation, plastic pollution, and industrial processes leave carbon footprints in the atmosphere, but deforestation is one of the major sources of carbon emissions in the environment.
In addition to this, The average tree absorbs 10-15 gallons of water every day; their extensive roots soak in the excess water in the environment. When deforestation happens, the root system is destroyed, and the soil loses the capacity to absorb rainfall. As a result, more rainwater runs off the surface, leading to flooding during heavy rainfall events.
In 2022, Nigeria experienced one of the worst flooding she has ever experienced. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said 662 persons lost their lives, 3,174 suffered injuries and 2,430,445 individuals were displaced by the disaster.
“Carbon emissions are majorly absorbed by tropical trees. Temperate trees can also absorb emissions, but not as much as tropical trees. The remaining carbon goes into the ocean,” Agbaje explained. “But humans are constantly damaging both oceans and forests, and those are the two things that keep us alive and preserve the ecosystem.”
Image Source: University of Ilorin
Curbing deforestation in Nigerian universities and beyond
There have been efforts made by individuals and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to curb this gnawing issue. One such person who has contributed to this cause is Debo Ajenifuja, a program manager at the Alliance for Positive Environmental Impacts and Reforestation (APEARE)
To curb deforestation, Ajenifuja and his team devised an initiative to empower women from rural communities in Ibadan whose significant income was from cutting and selling trees. The team trained the women on cultivating short-duration trees, mainly “Thaumatococcus Daniellii“, used for “moinmoin” wraps.
According to Agbaje, Universities need to approach their architecture and development goals from a position that’s more inclusive of the environment. Development plans should minimise deforestation and the fragmentation of vegetation cover.
Editor’s note:
This story is part of a series we’ll be publishing in partnership with University of Ilorin’s Union of Campus Journalists (UCJ) to support the launch of their 2023 OPTIC magazine.
UCJ is the official student press body of the University of Ilorin and is home to over 300 journalists. It won Pen Club of the year at Youth Digest’s 2022 Campus Journalism Awards, and was a finalist under the magazine of the year category.
You can also support their work by:
Sharing these stories for more visibility.
Placing an order for the magazine or funding next year’s release. Please email the UCJ team at ucjunilorin@gmail.com
On Wednesday, September 6, 2023, students of Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE) raised an alarm over the disappearance of Miss Atanda Modupe Deborah, a 200-level student of the school’s nursing department.
She was reportedly last seen in front of the school’s Pharmacy Twin Hall on Monday, September 4. Unfortunately, by Wednesday evening, the situation took a tragic turn. She was found dead and buried in a shallow grave in the school’s premises.
What happened?
According to fellow students, Miss Atanda was raped and killed.
Ayo*, an accounting student at the university, provided some context. “She went for night reading, and when she didn’t come back the next day, some of her friends started a search party. The school authority was informed, but she was only found two days later in a shallow grave behind the Faculty of Pharmacy building. Her books and bag were found on a damaged bridge close by, and her earrings and pieces of clothing were found in a building close to the Pharmacy Twin Hall. She looked like she’d been raped but not mutilated or missing body parts, as the rumours claim.”
In the aftermath of her discovery, several students have voiced out their anger at the school’s lack of security personnel, night lights and student ID cards for proper identification. “We have forest-like bushes in Oye,” Bola*, another student, says. “Anyone can hide in those bushes and do anything they want. We don’t have security. At night, the school is dark. It’s not strange to hear that a student was robbed or molested in the dark, and there’s no way to even determine who is a student or not because we don’t have ID cards. The school doesn’t care about us.”
A protest in 2019 over the same poor electricity situation in the school led to the death of a student when protesting students were allegedly shot at by Nigerian police.
On Twitter, students and concerned individuals seeking justice for Miss Atanda are pushing hashtags like #justiceformodupe #blackwednesday and #makeFUOYEsafe.
The school authorities put out a press release on Wednesday, expressing their sadness over the unfortunate incident and urging “all stakeholders to be calm”.
They also noted that several arrests have been made as an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Miss Atanda’s death is ongoing. The press release contained instructions for students to “vacate the premises with immediate effect, to ensure a proper, holistic and unimpeded, thorough investigation.”
The Commissioner of Police, Ekiti, released a statement that the body had been put in a morgue, and ten suspects were held for questioning as of Thursday, September 7th.
07/09/2023 *PRESS RELEASE:* _Ekiti State CP orders discreet investigation into the cause of Deborah's death._
A Nigerian academic guru from the University of Calabar (UNICAL), identified as Cyril Ndifon, is facing allegations of sexual misconduct from female students of the school. Here’s all we know about the matter that has already garnered thousands of reactions from Twitter users under the trending hashtag #NdifonMustGo.
Who is Professor Cyril Ndifon?
According to information in the institution’s staff directory, “Professor Cyril Osim Ndifon is a Professor of Law at the University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria.” He has held several positions in the institution, including Dean, Faculty of Law; Sub-Dean, Faculty of Law; Head of Department; Chairman, Faculty of Law Graduate Board; and Examination officer.
Professor Cyril Ndifon is also a member of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the National Association of Law Teachers, among others.
Why is he trending?
On Monday, August 14, 2023, a Twitter user identified as @ada_mummyya shared a video showing a group of female UNICAL law students, accompanied by a few male counterparts, protesting for the removal of their dean.
The students were seen raising placards with bold inscriptions like “Prof Ndifon, let girls with big breasts breathe, stop suffocating us”, “We are tired of sucking dicks”, “Prof Ndifon must go for our sanity”, “Law girls are not bonanzas, Prof Ndifon should stop grabbing us”, “The faculty of law is not a brothel” and “Enough of law school list manipulation.”
Unical female Law students have called out their Dean, Prof Cyril Ndifon. Right now they are being threatened and shushed by the establishment.
While @ada_mummyya’s video has only just brought the matter to light, an online search of Professor Ndifon’s name returns with a string of articles that link him to allegations of sexual abuse from as far back as 2015.
In a 2016 article, it was reported that Prof Ndifon was accused of sexually assaulting a 20-year-old year student in his office on August 29, 2015. The incident led to Ndifon’s suspension by the university management. He was only to return to office once he was completely exonerated from the allegations of sexual misconduct.
The aggrieved professor dragged the matter to court, and on September 21, 2016, the National Industrial Court in Calabar, presided over by Justice Eunice Agbakoba, dismissed the suit.
On November 16, 2017, reports that the university management had recalled Professor Ndifon made headlines with pictures of his arrival on the university premises.
Professor Ndifon receives a warm welcome upon reinstatement
Why are the students protesting now?
On January 30, 2023, an article published in the campus news segment of UNICAL’s website announced the re-election of Professor Ndifon as the dean of the faculty of law. According to the release, Ndifon’s tenure is to run for two years, from January 27, 2023, till January 26, 2025.
The re-election didn’t sit well with the students, who are still accusing Professor Ndifon of sexual misconduct and the school authority of attempting a cover-up.
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Has this received any public attention?
In December 2022, a civil service organisation, Sacredhearts Gender Protection Initiative, wrote to the UNICAL management, querying the reinstatement and promotion of Professor Ndifon despite allegations of misconduct.
A portion of the letter addressed to the Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar, Prof. Florence Obi, read “…we therefore find it hard to understand the basis for which Ndifon who is under investigation for sexual assault against a female law student was reinstated as a staff of the university and made Dean of the Law Faculty. Is it that the Management of the University of Calabar has no moral standard for measuring or distinguishing right from wrong?
The group equally vowed to hit the streets and protest the reinstatement of Professor Ndifon.
“Our organization together with other Civil Society groups involved in Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) activities will lead a protest march and advocacy visit to international organizations and foreign embassies in the Federal Capital Territory to call your university management to order.”
A number of Nigerians have also taken to social media in solidarity with the protesting students, calling for the professor’s immediate removal.
Every Eke Market Day spanning 8 years now, Prof Cyril Ndifon is called out for abuse. Nothing happens because the “Powers that be” protects a perpetrator.
Today, I join my voice with these brave brave girls to say No more. Make schools a safer place for Everyone. https://t.co/JYI0PwwWoN
I just want to give these young women a big hug because the education system in this country is already set up to frustrate your progress for you to still deal with sexual harassment from your dean. I hope they don’t get punished for speaking up for themselves https://t.co/ImhnMYjGf3
Following the recent allegations of sexual harassment, the university management on Thursday, August 17, suspended Professor Ndifon. In a letter signed by the registrar, Mr Gabriel Egbe, the school management expressed reservations about Ndifon’s unsatisfactory response to a query issued to him.
The letter read: “Please refer to our letter Ref UC/REG/DISC.45A dated August 14, 2023, on your alleged violation of the provisions of the extant laws and policies of the university and your response to the said letter which was dated August 16, 2023.
“The vice-chancellor has gone through your written representations and is not satisfied with your explanations. She has therefore directed that you be relieved of your position as the Dean, Faculty of Law and placed on suspension while the matter is referred to a panel that will be set up to investigate these allegations.”
If you are a Benson Idahosa University (BIU) student in Edo State, Nigeria, you know about the institution’s tense and chaotic atmosphere. Angry protests have erupted, destroying property while mournful students hold candlelight processions. Other students are fleeing the university in droves and returning home until the tension calms. But what is the root cause of this chaos?
To fully understand the cause of the turmoil, you have to know what exactly happened that led to the tragic death of Bruno Chigozie Ezeonye, a 21-year-old final-year student from the faculty of science at the university. His case has shed light on a concerning pattern of poor healthcare systems in many Nigerian tertiary institutions and pervasive medical negligence.
Bruno Chigozie and a tale of medical negligence
On May 22, 2023, final-year BIU students started a week-long series of events to celebrate their last days in school. The week, popularly tagged “final year week,” included a football match in which Bruno participated at the school’s Legacy Campus.
Citizen spoke to an eyewitness and friend, John*, a final-year student at the faculty of science, who shared his account of the incident that led to Bruno’s death.
The events that led to Bruno’s death
With a subdued voice and sad spirit, * John told us that “Bruno wasn’t feeling too well and was complaining that he was weak, but he still participated in the football match. During the match, he slumped and started convulsing. Doctors and other medical personnel arrived late to the football pitch. They tried to give him first aid, but to no avail. To make matters worse, the oxygen tank was empty, and the school could not use the ambulance due to a lack of fuel.
A private car had to transport Bruno to a nearby hospital (Faith Mediplex). When they got to the school gate, the security men on duty didn’t allow them to leave the school without a permit, and they had to call the Head of Life Campus before they could leave. Before they could get to Faith Mediplex, Bruno died. He was a very jovial and popular guy, and I can’t believe he is no longer with us”
Unfortunately, Bruno isn’t the first to die due to medical negligence at BIU. Two sources say the school’s healthcare facility has always been at an all-time low, with doctors and nurses “doing nothing” but “watch TV and chill in the clinic.”
They also alleged that a similar incident occurred in 2018, resulting in the unfortunate death of a student due to delayed medical attention. According to their account, students reacted by setting fire to the school’s clinic in response to this incident.
What are the authorities doing about it?
The day after, the school’s registrar circulated a memo announcing the immediate closure of the Legacy Campus. The management determined that this closure was necessary to look into Bruno’s death and repair the damages the protest caused.
The school made a statement on Bruno’s death. This was posted on their social media page. However, it quickly became controversial due to the claim that he was “promptly attended to by the medical doctor on duty.”
It was quickly taken down, and a new post was made, but it was noticed that the same claim was still made.
Unfortunately, there are more victims like Bruno
This incident might have happened at a private university, but Bruno isn’t the first victim of medical negligence and a lack of accountability across Nigeria’s higher institutions. Here are three victims of similar circumstances:
Mayowa Alaran
In 2015, Mayowa, a student at the University of Ibadan, was in a tightly packed common room with 100 or more students when he suddenly fainted. People called the Jaja clinic emergency hotline, which had promised to send an ambulance that never came.
His friend, Egbe, had to rush him to the clinic on a bike, or okada. He later died after nurses tried to resuscitate him.
Austin Okafor
On October 2, 2018, Austin, a University of Benin (UNIBEN) student, went to the health centre for medical attention. This was after discovering that he was experiencing hematuria, which is the presence of blood in the urine. He was referred to the university’s teaching hospital, and there was an attempt to get to the hospital via ambulance.
Unfortunately, the ambulance couldn’t go past the school gate without clearance. It took nearly 35 minutes for them to get one. When they arrived at the teaching hospital, Austin was left alone at the Accident and Emergency Ward for another 15 minutes without any doctor attending. He eventually died.
Precious Mhenuteur
On January 28, 2023, a 22-year-old University of Calabar (UNICAL) student, Precious Mheneuter, fell ill in the hostel and was rushed to the school’s medical centre. She was denied medical care simply because she had no medical card. It was impossible to get a card. This was because the incident happened at 5 a.m. and the records office hadn’t opened yet.
She died two hours later at 7 a.m. Precious was later taken to the mortuary at 8 a.m. without the school informing her parents.
What actions must be taken to stop the trend of medical negligence?
From all indications, the authorities of higher institutions are not paying close attention to the medical needs of their students.
We are calling out all school authorities to ensure all medical facilities in schools are up and running. They should also discipline erring medical practitioners and remove bureaucratic systems in cases of emergency.
If you are aware of someone who has suffered from medical negligence, you may sue them and even receive compensation from the High Courts and the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria. Find out how to do it here.
Every three bathroom breaks, Nigerian universities get dragged through the mud on and offline. But are they spitting facts or just dissing? We joined the conversation to uncover the reasons behind all the hate.
I-can-do-and-undo lecturers
Just pray you don’t get in trouble with a lecturer that thinks they’re next after God. They’ll tell you how they taught medicine to Small Doctor; and find a way to keep you in school for the next ten years.
Sex for grades
Why are there so many lecturers who can’t keep their genitals in their pants?
Some lecturers must always collect money for books or department projects from students. Their catch phrase is “I’m not forcing you to buy my book, but if you don’t buy this year, you’ll buy next year”.
When will people stop asking if school’s on break?
It’s painful when you finally realise you’re still fightingfor a bus at Unilorin car park when your mates from private unis are already complaining about NYSC PPA or entry-level work stress.
Hot babes, come to Ikoyi to get lit with other hot babes at HERtitude 2023 on May 27th. Get your ticket here.
Student union that’s weaker than spiderweb
Other than appearing at department dinners, they’ve no power to implement change. Also, why is a boomer the leader of the National Association of Nigerian Students?
Every year, school fees hike
Money doesn’t grow on trees, but school management wants you to have it when they want it.
Every morning, database is on 404 Error
One school got hacked several times recently. How long will sensitive data go unprotected? Just hire professionals.
Missing exam scripts
Imagine retaking a six-unit course because your exam script is sleeping under one dusty, heavy shelf in the department, and no one could be bothered to find it. How did it get there in the first place? No one knows.
Engineering is an interesting course to study, especially when you are a curious, intelligent and handsy person. Nonetheless, the course would stress you and give you occasional sleepless nights. Here’s a list of things that you will be able to relate to if you studied engineering at a Nigerian University.
1.Knowing the content of K. A. Stroud Engineering Mathematics Textbook from top to bottom.
Sorry that we hit this sensitive spot, but the ability of this textbook to help relive your past trauma is unmatched. It’s impossible to forget this textbook.
2.Wondering if Thermodynamics is a real course or an excuse to torture students.
If the word torture could be replaced, it should be replaced with thermodynamics. If you studied engineering and enjoyed learning thermodynamics, we are worried about the kind of adult you turned out to be.
3.Learning Engineering Design with a T- square and TD board.
Not only was this a useless course for a lot of engineering students, if you studied in a Nigerian university, you probably had to draw with your hand. You’ll be dressed up looking really good, dragging a TD board with you. Ah God.
4.Asking yourself if you really need that degree when studying for an exam.
If you studied engineering, you probably asked yourself ‘’do I even like this course?’’ more than ten times in an academic year. Engineering students live in a constant state of I hate it here.
5.Seeing formulas in your dream.
This is the deepest mud, not only will the course stress you in real life, but it would also follow you to your dreams. The x, the y, the shokolokogbamgbose.
6.Cramming coding languages and writing them with pen and paper.
Oh oh, it sounds like a lie till you’ve schooled in a Nigerian university. You thought seeing formulas in your dream was the deepest mud, this one takes the cake.
7.Learning with software from 1988 in 2021.
If Nigeria isn’t in 2021 yet, how will the universities be?. As if it’s not bad enough that the lecturers are teaching with outdated software, they’ll be teaching it with strong head too.
8.Getting a job and realizing you have to teach yourself everything the job requires.
You’ll spend 5 years getting that degree, and spend another 1 year or more teaching yourself all the things your boss expects you to know.
It’s no news that Nigerian Universities are the ghetto but what’s the specific experience of a Nigerian woman in Nigerian University? When I got the idea for this article, I wasn’t expecting any of the stories I received.
Osas
I went to grab dinner at a burger spot next to my school’s back gate with my friend. When we were done, a guy who also got food from there, tried to talk to me by saying as we were walking back to our hostel. I didn’t answer him because the streetlight by the back gate wasn’t on and there weren’t a lot of people around. Eventually, the guy gave up and we were relieved.
Next thing, another guy came down from a car and started calling after us. We were ignoring him as well when he said, “I don’t like how you ignored that guy back there, you should have given him an audience.” In my mind, I was wondering why I should stop to talk to a guy in a dark quiet place? This other guy kept following us saying that we were ill-mannered for not talking to the first guy. I had to answer him at some point to say that we didn’t know him so we weren’t interested in a conversation, especially as it was late. We picked our pace and he did too. He said that were running because we thought he wants to toast us but he just wants to preach the word of God. Then I said okay, preach, we don’t have to stand still for that. He got angry — he said that we are just unnecessarily proud, that we are not too special to talk to guys. He asked us who we think we are and that if the first guy came in a Benz, we would be all over him. The whole thing became scary because he was raising his voice and he refused to leave us alone. I started talking back to him. I told him to get lost that I didn’t know him and I didn’t care what he had to say. He said he knows my hostel and I act like I am so good I don’t shit.
At some point, I noticed the car he came down from was behind us, probably was trailing us since the whole thing started. He called us ugly and was about to leave when I said, “We are ugly but you’ve been embarrassing yourself by following us even when we ignored you.” He immediately turned back, he said, he is part of the Student Union Government and he was going to follow me to my hostel. He said he could get me kicked out the next day.
I was stupidly brave because I kept responding to him. I was ready to fight that night and I didn’t care what happened. I even started shouting thief, although a few people on the road looked and they didn’t do anything to help. He brought out his phone and started calling people telling them the story. We eventually got to my hostel and he actually tried reporting me to the porters on duty but we told them the truth — we didn’t know him and he followed her there. They asked him to leave and that was the last time I saw him. It was my worst night ever.
Nina
One time, I went to get my passport photo taken. There I saw the Public Relations Officer of my school’s Student Union Government and the president. I greeted the PRO because we were already acquainted — he had asked me out and I said no. That day, he introduced me to the President as his wife. I laughed about it and moved on. Later that night, the PRO called me to say he had something to tell me. We agreed to meet later that week.
There, he said he and the president need leverage against their fellow politician and they want to use me as bait. When I asked what he meant, he said they need me to get close to the guy in a way that I can get incriminating information that they can use against him because he had something he could use against them. He said they didn’t care what I had to do — sleep with him, get him drunk, whatever as long as I got what they needed. He said they will give me whatever I wanted.
I had initially planned to record the meeting but I forgot before I got there and I’m glad I did because he collected my phone to check if I was recording our conversation. My heart was pounding throughout that meeting. I told him I would think about it. When he called the next day, I said I wasn’t interested but I was scared they would try to harm me because I had their secret in my palms. I stopped walking around school, especially at night for a while.
Bisola
In my first year, I had a male friend I was very close to. We had this lecturer that would come to class and separate us. I noticed that we got F’s in the courses he took. My friend eventually left the department but he would always move any other guy sitting with me away from me. Last semester, I saw him as I walking to class with another male friend and he asked, “What happened to your other husband?” I said, “Didn’t you chase him away?” and he said, “Oh so, this is the new one abi? I will chase him away soon.” That was the weirdest thing ever.
Ibinabo
In my first year, I had a practical course where we had to use the school lab. One day, I fell an apparatus by mistake and the lecturer was angry. He asked what department I was in and when I said, Medicine and Surgery, he said “It can’t be or maybe the school made a mistake in your admission.” It was such a mean, wicked thing to say because I made a mistake.
Ruby
In my third year, I went for an exam. At the exam venue, one of the invigilators was a lecturer in my department. Before that day, we had never had any interaction. That day he saw me and asked why he had never seen me in his class before. I said I attended all his classes so I don’t know why. He asked for my number and I gave him.
Days later he called me to meet up with him. At the meeting, he told me that a beautiful girl like me needs men like him to protect me in school. I had to lie that I already had a lecturer I was seeing to get him off my back. It was strange to me that he left me simply because I was supposedly involved with another man not because I wasn’t interested. I was only 20 at the time. I was really scared.
Onomoesi
In my second year, I was training for basketball games in my department. One coach picked interest in me. He trained me and my friend for a while. One day, during training, the man and the hockey coach were watching us. Later they asked us to join the hockey team because they thought our stature fit the game and the coach needed players for the upcoming NUGA (Nigeria University Games Association) games. He took our numbers and names down.
During our first hockey training, the coach seemed more interested in training me than my friend. I didn’t think much of it until he texted me. In his messages, he wanted me to come and see him. He said he would adult nap me since I am not a child anymore. I told him I wasn’t interested and luckily, he backed off.
Growing up, a lot of us are taught that there is an exact way we are supposed to progress. We go from primary school to secondary school to university, get a job and then marry. It’s linear and exact. However, real-life isn’t that simple. A good number of people opt out of this race at different points and for different reasons. Today, we spoke to seven people who decided a uni education isn’t for them or had to leave uni.
Mimi, 21. I dropped out but I went to a school in England. My mom and some of her colleagues were being probed by EFCC. And I knew it was going to affect my school fees being paid. Plus I never liked England. So that was my call to back out quick. For now, I’m doing nothing. I really want to relax in Nigeria. I just want to be jobless for a while. As for my mom, I told her to just let me chill and enjoy the money EFCC hasn’t seized from her. I live with mum so most things are covered and the extra things, my dad and my other siblings send me money when they can. I can’t lie I didn’t realise how bad it affected my plans until recently but I plan on moving back to England to just live there and probably work a bit until I figure out what I want to do with my life. My original plan was to go to uni and then go on to become a solicitor. But I don’t think I even know how to read anymore. I’m also a British citizen so it’s easier to rely on another country for my unplanned future.
Afam, 24.
For me leaving uni was a matter of realizing that it wasn’t providing value to me. The university system here is shit, and according to it, I was dumb. I failed courses, I was horrible with classmates and it made me depressed. Then I started coding and designing and I was good at it. It’s funny how when I brought that real-life know-how to classes in Uni where I was studying computer science, I would still fail but outside, I was doing well. That’s when I realized that uni was all about knowing enough to pass an examination, at least in Nigeria. The day I decided to leave was when on my second full-time tech role, I heard how much my lecturer was making and I realized I was earning twice what he was being paid. I was twenty-three, he was several decades older than me, had been working for much longer but I was already out-earning him and I was just getting started. That made something click in me, so I got out of the system. I dropped out two weeks later.
Mel, 22. I dropped out because I realized I was fooling myself, what I was studying wasn’t my career part. I never wanted to study Human Resources Management, I wanted to be a lawyer. Nobody ever noticed but I was unhappy about it. I’m very intelligent but I flunked in school and I never took my classes seriously. Sometimes I just paid my lecturers to get through to the next semester. Now I’m going after the things I love doing and not what my mum wants. I feel at peace being in control of my life. When I was in Uni, I was so depressed because I didn’t know what to do next. The question of “are you done with school?” “have you gotten a job?” “what are you currently doing?” It was unbearable, my anxiety went so high that I almost killed myself. I felt like a failure because why would any reasonable person drop out in their final year right? But now? Fuck it! I don’t give a single fuck if anyone sees me as a failure, I don’t owe them anything. Now I’m happy and I’m currently working on getting my psychology degree from the University of London. For real, I’m happy and I’m making the right decisions for my future so to hell with anyone who thinks otherwise.
Vona, 26. First, I dropped out because I couldn’t pay school fees. I had the money to pay before I even needed to pay but I was in a relationship with someone at the time and he came to one day saying he needed help, I loaned him the money with the promise that he would pay back before resumption. He didn’t and then he moved out of the country with my money, I never heard from him again. When it was time for resumption, I couldn’t pay fees, was too ashamed to ask anyone for help and I, unfortunately, had to drop out. It has changed my life plans, I can’t get a job. I’m not much of a business person and doing small businesses to survive is hard as I want to be in an office space working but I can’t do that as nobody wants to employ an SSCE holder for jobs. I’ve wasted my life and it hurts. I’m ashamed that I’m a dropout, I hate to meet new people because people want to know what you do, where you work. What do I say? That I’m a dropout who has nothing going for her? I can’t show up anywhere because I’m always the odd one out. It’s just safer to stay indoors and never go out. At first, nobody in my family knew until two years later when they started hounding me for NYSC and I had to come clean. My Dad outrightly disowned me, it was one of the toughest periods in my life because I left the house that morning with a bag of clothes and 20k. It’s been a few years now, my mom is no more disappointed but I and my dad don’t talk and haven’t seen each other since then.
Yasmin, 20.
I dropped out partially due to attempted assault. And uni was high workload with low reward. The system was archaic. We were using learning materials from the 1970s and a course that was supposed to be very in-depth and practical oriented was DIY. It has affected my life and plans. I sometimes feel like all the time I spent fighting to study that course is now a waste. But it’s helped me figure out what my dream means to me and how to work around it while pursuing something else. I was very anxious about dropping out. Firstly because it felt like I had wasted their money. A part of me wanted to just suck up the mental exhaustion I was facing and just finish but I couldn’t. A lot of people also felt I was spoiled, they’d say ‘if you go to a different uni and the lecturer tries to assault you again will you drop out again.‘ It is very scary how much sexual assault is downplayed in uni. Up until the day I was going to quit I kept thinking about all the people I left high school with graduating the next year and how I’d be starting afresh but we’re meant for different things. Anyways, so I couldn’t chicken out I didn’t go for exams so that was a sure way to drop out. The funny thing is my parents were so pro-dropping out. They just wanted me to have fun till the semester was over and come home. They kept wondering why I still bothered going to classes. My mum especially was very supportive and she keeps telling me not to run on anyone else’s time.
Olayinka, 24. I was 17. I was in my second year. I just knew I didn’t fit in. I wanted to do it for my family but the more I tried the more it sucked. So one day I just woke up, told myself I wasn’t going to do it anymore. I called my parents and told them I forgot to pay my school fees and although I did intentionally delay my fees but it was still something I could fix but I didn’t want to fix it. Fast forward to today, nobody wants to employ someone who doesn’t own a degree. Sometimes I feel insecure about it. I am one of the smartest girls I know but I’ve had to quit work so many times because I’m constantly being treated like a slave. You do all the work for our so-called graduates and they earn way more than you do. One time I met this guy who said he liked me and wanted us to date. I told him I was a dropout and he told me he couldn’t be with someone who dared to throw her life away. I felt anxious at the initial stage but as soon as I decided to end it. I felt really good about it. I never even thought I’d get a job. Like a real job. Everyone told me I wouldn’t and for a while, that scared me but I’m in a much better space now and I have come to love myself for making that decision. That night as soon as I got home, we had this huge argument at home. My Dad kept on blaming my mom for it and I felt horrible. The next morning at exactly 5 am my parents took me to the park and told me I was going to live with my aunt in Ilorin. My mom didn’t talk to me for four months, and my dad never took me seriously afterwards and that was the hardest part for me
Ofeh, 25. I wanted to study medicine but UNIBEN gave me Educational Psychology. That didn’t make sense so I always planned to leave. In my second year, I wrote jamb and got admission to a different school and aside from it being a rugged school, they gave me Biochemistry. No point going from a course I didn’t want to another course I did not want. At the same time, my dad was trying to get me and my brother out of Nigeria or so he told me. However, only my brother ended up leaving. I stayed because my dad said I’m the first child, I need to be close to home. The gag was that I had already checked out of UNIBEN unbeknownst to anyone. I wasn’t attending classes or taking exams. When I realized I was not going anywhere, I tried to rectify it. I went to my course adviser but she was so mean, shouting at everyone in her office. I was too scared to say anything and even though, I didn’t tell anybody anything. At that point, I was supposedly in 300 level but I had never registered for any of my 200 level courses or written the exams. I didn’t do any assignments or tests. I was practically not a student but I lied for another two years because I was too scared to tell anyone or confront the truth myself. I don’t regret dropping out. It’s one of the events that made my life go the way it is now and I’m grateful I got it. However the years before I told anyone, I would lock myself in my room for days, no food. Just snacks, weed and tears. I went to a psychiatrist in 2018 and I got diagnosed and that’s how I know now that my mental health was a part of it. My parents were actually very supportive of my decision. It was surprising because I told them when I was supposedly in final year. Before then I had been lying that I had issues that would cost me extra year, missing script, etc. I eventually wrote my dad a long email telling him I had dropped out and he called me. He asked if I was alone and told me not to cry and to come home. He kept telling to not worry, that I’ll be fine.
Students in Nigerian universities have stories to tell, but hardly anyone to tell them to. For our new weekly series, Aluta and Chill, we are putting the spotlight on these students and their various campus experiences.
For students at any of the government-owned universities across the country, ASUU and NASU strikes are a big part of their experiences. The staff unions are always in disagreements with the federal government, leading to strikes that sometimes go on for months. No one feels this avoidable break in academic activities more than the students who are directly affected, so I thought to speak to a couple of university students. They talk about the most memorable strike they’ve experienced and everything that came with it.
Ewoma, Female, University of Lagos
It was a Monday in 2018 and I was in 200 Level. Word was that NASU was going on strike, but nobody thought a NASU strike would spell disaster. I had a class at noon, which I went to, but the main entrance to the faculty was locked. I’ll admit that I was excited because it was the middle of the semester and I thought I could use a break from classes. My class held, but it was not the best experience. Even the lecturer decided that he’d seen enough and ended the class before the hour mark.
When it was 6 PM and they didn’t restore power to the hostels or anywhere else, we realised that we might be in trouble. No power meant no water, and that was usually the start of a big struggle. Also, we couldn’t stay in our rooms — the heat and mosquitoes were a deadly combination.
Many people in the hostel were forced to sleep outside. The situation took a turn for the worse the following morning. Water had stopped running in the hostels, so the toilets were unusable. Besides, the pungent smell of spoilt food made the air unbreathable.
The strike lasted for a week and it was one sad story or the other. We watched helplessly as our food supply went bad. Pretty much everyone had to spend more money on food. I felt a lot of things during the long week, but the strongest emotion was anger. I understood that NASU had a beef to settle with the federal government, but why did they have to do us dirty to make a point?
Praises, Female, University of Nigeria
It started with the rumours. But nobody thought it was going to happen — ASUU was always threatening to go on strike. Even when the rumours gained momentum, everyone I knew didn’t think there was something there.
We were wrong. I was in the middle of a lecture one day when three men walked into the class. They said: “We’re sorry to disturb you, but we’re embarking on a nationwide strike.” They were polite but firm. That was the end of the lecture and the beginning of my first experience with ASUU strikes. It was funny because they still managed to surprise us, even though there were tell-tale signs.
However, there were fears that the lecturers in my school wouldn’t obey the directive to suspend academic activities, so I didn’t go home immediately. I suspected that lecturers would continue classes and those were perfect situations for impromptu tests and whatnot. I spent two long weeks at school. Unfortunately, I was broke and I hardly had any food. I got sucked into a routine of waking up, eating cornflakes and going back to sleep.
In the middle of it, I thought a lot about my life choices and other options I could have taken — like why couldn’t I have gone to a school abroad? Why did I use the last ₦1000 I had to renew my data subscription? — you know stuff like that.
I was so frustrated about all of it. Not sure what the underlying reasons were, but I couldn’t shake it off. In the end, the coronavirus pandemic hit the country and the federal government directed the closure of schools across the country. There were no concerns about classes anymore, so I packed my stuff and went home.
Anana, Female, University of Uyo
School had just resumed and I was about to start my second year at the university when ASUU went on this strike — I don’t even remember what it was about anymore. The last place I wanted to go was my parent’s house. Not like I hated home, but I had lived at the estate since I was 7. Going to school was my first real chance at freedom, and it sucked to have it taken away from me.
To make things worse, my siblings were not at home, so it was just me. I picked up sewing to pass the time, but there was only so much it could do for me. My apartment at school had become my safe space and it felt like I had been robbed of it. I realised how tired I was of the entire thing when it got to a point where I would have given anything to be in a room filled with students and lecturers. At the peak, I felt my brain was dying from inactivity.
The only decent thing I got out of the experience was that I got closer to one of my sister’s friends. It was nice having someone close to talk to. But that was it. Everything else was a disaster. The strike lasted for about 3 months before they called it off.
Tochukuwu, Male, Nnamdi Azikiwe University
Earlier this year, my school declared a lecture-week free in preparations for the convocation ceremony, and I went home. I was preparing to return to school when I heard that the rift between the Federal Government and ASUU over the IPPIS payment system had gotten to a head. ASUU had kicked against the implementation of the system, but the FG went ahead with it. I guess it was fight-or-flight for ASUU because they went on a 2-week warning strike. It didn’t make sense to return to school, so I stayed back.
Before the warning strike ran its course, the pandemic hit, forcing everything to a standstill. It’s been about 6 months now and I’m not sure if ASUU is ready to go back to work even if the FG okays resumption of schools.
I don’t think I mind, though. I’ve been more productive since I’ve been at home. With school, there was always the urgency to keep up with academic stuff. But that’s not something I have to deal with now, and this has given me quite a bit of time to focus on other things I’m interested in.
Ayodele, Male, University of Ibadan
Since I started studying at the university, there have been at least two strikes every session. The incessant interruption of the school calendar has always been annoying. For reasons that I can’t control, my stay in school keeps getting longer.
A couple of months ago, at the end of the second semester of my third year, NASU went on strike in the middle of exams. However, the exams went on. They wanted to make their industrial action more effective, so NASU members crippled the school’s public transport system, forcing the cab drivers to stop working— there were no cabs and everybody in the school community had to walk to wherever they were going. This went on for a month before they called it off.
NASU had just called off their strike when ASUU went on theirs. And the strike is still on, even though schools across the country are currently closed. Now, I’m not sure if I’m still in 300 level or final year. This is frustrating as the plan was to finish university in 2020. That’s impossible now, and if this keeps happening, 2021 might be out too. I’ve felt a lot of things, but right now, I feel indifferent. I’m totally over it.
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Can’t get enough Aluta and Chill?Check back every Thursday at 9 AM for a new episode. Find other stories in the series here.
It’s been two months and chances of Nigerian schools reopening are still pretty slim. Schools across the country were closed to control the spread of the coronavirus in Nigeria. Anyway, we reached out to some Nigerian students and they talked about how much they look forward to going back to school.
Oiza – Ahmadu Bello University
I understand why schools had to be closed, but I’d rather be anywhere but this house. It’s hard enough to study in school, but it’s almost impossible to do that at home. My friends and I even had a study arrangement that lasted for a week. Maybe online learning facilities would have made the difference if they were available, I guess we will never know.
I’m tired of this house. Stress. No power. No privacy. Every single move I make is judged with one impossible standard. I’m cut off from people who understand. It’s very messed up and I’m tired. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve cried. I’m prepared for the Fs I’ll have after this extended break. It’s like ASUU strike, except you can’t blame the FG this time. I’m really looking forward to returning to school and getting my freedom back. Go on late night walks with friends. And oh, did I mention the school Wi-fi?
Gamaliel – University of Lagos
News of the closure was a punch to the gut. I knew I would be cut off from my allowance and that didn’t sound like it would be fun for me. Besides, home is somewhat far, so getting myself here was a chore. At the moment, I’m running on pure vibes. Do I want schools to reopen? Absolutely! That would make my life easier. I would get my allowance back, to start with. Then my freedom. And I would be reunited with my girl. Strangely enough, I miss everything about school — the lectures, the tests and exams. I’ve now realised that I love education so much.
Eseosa – University of Port Harcourt
You should have seen how eager I was to go home when this entire thing started. To me, home meant one important thing — food. Everything was great for a while, but now I know the novelty has worn off and it’s beginning to look like a punishment. I’m not going to lie, my school work has suffered. I’ve spent close to two months at home and I only started studying this week. So yes, the only place I want to be right now is my school. The best thing that could possibly happen to me right now is Nigerian schools reopening. For starters, I miss my friends, ugh! I miss living alone, I can’t take the see-finish in this house anymore.
Rebecca – Kwara State University
I was livid when the school got closed. I mean, corona is not yet to play, but I was supposed to begin exams in a week, and everything got cancelled. That was really painful. I’m too comfortable at home, and it’s affecting how I study. And I don’t think virtual learning would have helped because physical classes are not 100 per cent effective at all times, now what are the chances that virtual learning would do better? Anyway, I have only one wish at the moment — and it is for schools to reopen, so I can write my exams and get it over it.
Rajunor – University of Calabar
For some reason, I didn’t think this situation was going to last this long. I wasn’t even going to come home as I didn’t see the point. But here we are. I’m doing a lot of things at home, but studying is not one of them. There’s always one thing to do or the other. I won’t say I’m excited about returning to school right now though. I’m really indifferent about it. But if it happens, I excited about attending lectures. We’ve lost a lot of time already, so I know there’s going to be quite a rush when the school gates are finally open. It’s somewhat scary, but I think I’m prepared for that.
While we wait for Nigerian schools reopening, you can catch up on some Aluta and Chill stories in the box below
Social science faculty is usually the most diverse and fun cocktail in Nigerian universities. It’s even more ironic because people hardly write JAMB with plans to study a social science course, but alas the system does what it does best and 4 years later it makes a political scientist out of a 16-year-old who wanted to be the youngest SAN in Nigeria. Here are some of the things Nigerian social science students can definitely relate to.
1. People wondering where you would work after school.
Talmabout so will you be a politician? Or you will work as a secretary? Stay there and be asking, you will still pay money to attend my career masterclass soon.
2. Exam questions that always start with “Explain”, “Describe”, “Enunciate”, “Outline”, “argue for the case of” and other orishirishi that basically means you are expected to spend no less than one page for each answer.
Social science exams are never a “straight to the point matter”, you are expected to take the longest route with enough English and important keywords.
3. Too much talk in lectures.
Which is probably why they expect you to talk just as much during exams. There’s always a lot to say and the lecturers spend ample time saying it.
4. Jam-packed classes.
Social science departments are always overcrowded, and schools make no effort to creating larger classrooms or providing more seats. Once you have your reg number you are on your own.
5. Standing at the back of the class or by the window of the class for lectures.
Because the class is already full as usual.
6. Coursemates with dreams/plans of switching over to professional courses.
When you ask them they say “It’s what the university gave them”. Everybody wants to port to a professional course so they can make their Nigerian parents proud.
7. Too many candidates during SUG elections.
Somehow social science faculty always turns out to be a congregation of the most politically ambitious students in the university as regards the SUG. During SUG elections there are always at least 4 candidates from social science contesting for the SUG president position when other faculties only have one candidate each.
8. Back to back parties.
Because we obviously put the social in science after all.
That’s 8 things Nigerian Social Science Students can definitely relate to. We also made a list for Engineering students and it’s another fun read.
Nigerian universities are like countries with faculties as their states. Every faculty is an entire experience on its own. It’s like every faculty comes with a unique culture inspired by the day to day activities of the students as they chase their B.sC. Here’s a list of 6 things every Nigerian engineering student will relate with:
1. Having only 5 to 10 girls in one entire level with more than 100 boys.
The boy girls ratio in engineering departments is always shocking. Gather them into a hall and randomly throw a stone and it will still not fall on a girl’s head. And this of course leaves little room for inhouse romance.
2. Going to social sciences or faculty of arts for events.
Because like Patoranking and Falz collaborated to say: “The party no go sweet if girls no dey”. And those faculties have way more girls.
3. Mechanical drawing.
There’s that one course that gives your sleepless nights and tasteless days. The course has you doing and submitting assignments back to back and summersaults you into a panic attack when the exam date is announced. You can never be ready enough.
4. A sprinkle of Maths in every course.
Engineering may be the name of the department but do not be fooled, Mathematics is the bestie she can’t live without. There’s always a formula to learn or use with every course and the calculations never end.
5. Bad boy reps.
People always assume that “engine boys” are bad boys. A reputation which they most often enjoy because bad boys have all the fun in school.
6. The stress and pressure of final year project.
The pressure hits mentally, academically, and financially. As if that’s not enough pain in itself there’s always that efiko group that builds a helicopter or a car and gets featured in the papers. People now be wondering what the other people in the department did with their 5 years.
7. Your friends graduating before you.
Because engineering is a 5-year contract but your friends only signed up for a 4-year social science course. You’ll be struggling with your final year project while your friends are balling at NYSC camp.
Do you know any Nigerian engineering student? Tag them in the comments.
The first year in a Nigerian university is always one hell of a ride. It’s like finally getting admitted into this prestigious club but then the club has more downs than ups. Here’s a list of some good and bad stuff year one students in Nigerian universities will relate to:
1. All the registration stress and queues.
The one thing you can be certain about in Nigerian universities is queues. There is always a queue, and it’s worse for year one students because they have a registration deadline to meet.
2. The wait for reg number.
You spend 2 weeks on campus and you are still stuck with your JAMB reg number.
3. Matriculation day excitement.
And of course, your parents come through Nigerian style. One cooler of rice, a cake in the university colors and crates of malt for your friends and fans
4. Priding in the fact that you now have “lectures” and not “lessons”.
Levels have changed yo.
5. Dropping the name of your university with shoulders high when neighbours ask.
Status successfully upgraded.
6. The struggle for accommodation.
The struggle is indeed real. Lagos state agents have got nothing on campus agents. It be your own students.
7. Attending classes back to back because you want to make first-class.
With 5.0 CGPA goals on your mind. In spite of the fact that you and WAEC did not really end on good terms.
Humbled by the questions that look like HD when the lectures were only taught in 2D. Also humbled by the mean invigilators and how much space they put between desks. And finally humbled by the fact that other people are already asking for an extra sheet and you can’t even bring yourself to understand what question one wants from you.
9. Checking your first exam results.
You go with your heart in your hands because. And on your way you probably get flashbacks from all the times you were sleeping like a bear when you should have been cramming definitions.
10. First embarrassment from a lecturer.
And you’re like, I thought the point of being a university student is that I will now be treated like an adult? Which one is “get out of my class”?
That’s 9 things most year one students in Nigerian Universities will relate to. Which struggle was the realest for you?
Life in the den (PS: “The den” is the second cooler name of the UNN campus) comes with mixed experiences. One day you are at a party having the time of your life and then the next you are looking at an F on a course you spent nights studying and asking God “how?”. We asked 7 UNN graduates about their worst UNN experiences and here’s what they told us:
Ivy, Graduated, 2018: My graduation was delayed because my department misplaced my results.
When I was about to graduate my department said they were looking for 3 of my courses. With a lot of difficulty and plenty of insults, I was able to get one of the results. But one of the lecturers said he (he was the exam officer) will only release it when he feels like. And mind you there was limited time before merit list would be out. In the end and after so much crying and begging he still did not release it. He checked the results o and he saw I didn’t fail it. But he just said he didn’t feel like releasing it. I had to involved the HOD (God bless that reverend sister’s soul) and she fought for it. Let me not even get into what went down with the third course.
Kelechi, Graduated 2019: I got robbed in my lodge.
I still have some leftover PTSD from this event. My roommate and I got robbed in our room off-campus. It was during my final year days when I had just relocated to the most popular off-campus also known as “hilltop” reputable for bad boys/girls, cultists and etc. I had been warned but I let my caution down one night when my roommate and I fell asleep while our balcony door was somewhat wide open. By approximately 3:20 am, with extremely bright lights on our faces and fear in our tongues, we were robbed of our beloved phones. The next morning, we realized we weren’t the only ones. The robber had also robbed almost everyone in one series of the lodge. It taught me a number of lessons, especially that, the Den actually had a lot of hungry lions – literally.
David, Graduated 2017: My phone got stolen during an exam.
During exams we are asked to drop our bags outside the hall. I left my wallet and newly acquired Iphone in there. When I came back to get my bag i noticed my phone was just gone. I almost ran mad.
Onyinye, Graduated 2018: The exam invigilator tore my script.
I was combining two courses and that in itself was already hell. Having to write three different papers on the same day, thereby having to spend half hours for two exams just because lecturers refused to shift exams for each other like they’re having some sort of interdepartmental beef. Also when I got my script torn in the exam hall. I just hate failing
Sandra, Graduated 2017: My final clearance was a nightmare.
Courtesy of the tedious bureaucratic process the university so diligently upholds. My final clearance week was a total nightmare. I spent most of it trekking from office to office under the hot sun and in most offices I met snail speed queues. Plus all the fees I suddenly had to pay. I’m so glad that phase is long over. I can say my final clearance definitely topped the list of my was my worst UNN experiences.
Henry, Graduated 2016: I failed the same course twice.
In my defense I didn’t fail the course the first time. My result got misplaced and I had to rewrite the course. Since I didn’t really fail it the first time, I figured I would see the questions and remember the answers the I gave the first time. Spoiler- It ended in tears.
“Great loins and lionesses!”, if UNN graduates got a dollar for each time they were called that and expected to “roar” in return they wouldn’t have had to immediately go into the job market. Because they would be swimming in all the dollars they got.
That aside, here are 10 other things UNN graduates can relate to:
1. Walking through the Stadium at night and reciting Psalm 23 because the stadium becomes a literal shadow of death at night.
And you are with your phone and laptop because your smart ass had to go for nightclass.
2. When they postpone GS and CEDR again
You’ll be on your own diligently reading for the exam and the next thing you’ll see a message from the course rep in the Whatsapp group saying they have post opened the exam again. But your bag of rice and carton of noodles has already finished.
Sometimes Nigerian universities are fun, but most times they are episode after episode of pure hell. If you attended one then you can probably identify one of the reasons why you hated school on this list. Or two reasons, or three. Or maybe the entire list is your story too.
1. There’s ALWAYS a queue.
While Lagosians are spending half their lifetime roasting in traffic, Nigerian students are spending there’s on queues. There’s a long queue at the banks, another one at the bursar’s office, and another at the bus stop, and at the toilet, at the restaurant too, at the Wi-Fi zone, there’s even a queue for your crush. And the queues make it a point to move at snail speed.
2. WhatsApp groups were invented in Nigerian universities.
There’s a WhatsApp group for everything; for every faculty, for every department, for every level in the department, for people who have forgotten their registration numbers, for people who have issues, for the people planning a party and even for people attending the party.
3. Assignments.
You think nursery, primary and secondary schools have all given you enough assignments for one lifetime but you get into the university and realize you are just starting.
4. Blackouts ergo water scarcity on campus.
Just when you have a deadline to submit an assignment the blackouts start and the water scarcity always almost follows suit. And you can best believe the university management is hardly ever in a hurry to fix the issue.
5. Impromptu tests a.k.a Tear out a sheet of paper.
The absolute worst kind of surprise. And lecturers loooooove to see it happen. Don’t they know that nobody reads until the exam time table is published?
6. Strikes.
At first you think it’s not so bad. Its like going on holiday before holiday, but then the strike stretches into months and you start wondering if you’ll ever see your B.SC in this life.
A good number of things don’t add up in Nigeria. Social systems don’t work and maintenance of physical structures is a myth, but we at least thought we had gotten somewhere with the ease of carrying out transactions over the internet. More than 1.85 million students applied to write the UTME (Unified Tertiary Matriculation Exams) in 2016, but the process remains crude.
This clip from a concerned Twitter user tells its own story
The struggle to buy JAMB form in Maiduguri the Borno state capital.
The people of Borno are still recovering from the horrors of the Boko Haram sect. Why should they go through any of this?
It really doesn’t make sense that the Ministry of Education and JAMB(Joint Administration and Matriculation Board) don’t give top priority to students from the conflict-affected states in the North. For one, these kids have been forced to abandon their studies for years, surely the least we can do for them is make the learning process easier for them?
The process of applying for and getting the JAMB form needs to be a lot easier for students nationwide.
Jamb that one should buy from the comfort of his bed and apply there. Almost 3 decades after others simplified registrations online
It’s however unfortunate to note that not even one Nigerian university made the list.
In fact, there has never been a Nigerian university on the CWUR ranking since 2014.
In spite of this, Uganda, Egypt and South Africa were the only African countries on the list.
The CWUR based this ranking on 8 factors including: quality of education, alumni employment, quality of faculty, influence, citations, publications, broad impact and patent.
This means an average Nigerian university does not meet any of these standards and cannot even match up to any of these international universities.
Looking at the alumni factor, after doing so much wahala to even get a degree in Nigeria, there are no jobs available for the graduates.
The extent of the failing education sector comes to light every other day and must be addressed!
For Nigeria to move forward and progress, the system responsible for grooming and producing citizens that will enforce this change has to be fixed.
Studying architecture in the university is not just a course, it affects everything in your life from sleep pattern, social life, eating schedule, how you view life and everything. Only architecture students will understand these situations.
1. When you realize RedBull or Power Horse are your favorite drinks
Can’t afford to be weak for one minute, before you sleep for two days.
2. Realizing you have been in the studio for 22 hours
Ahan where is this time running to?
3. When everyone in the studio hates you because you play music too loud
Don’t be angry oh please block your ears now or go and build your own studio.
4. When everywhere is a bed space
The tables and chairs looking like a comfortable bed or roses. Opportunity comes but once.
5. When everybody is saying good morning and it’s just your bedtime
This backwards sleeping pattern life.
6. When you eat your breakfast, lunch and dinner at one sitting
Because there will be no time again till tomorrow.
7. When you are an expert at the different smells of glue
UHU, Pritt you can smell them in your dream.
8. When you don’t know what day of the week it is at all
Could it be Monday? Or is today Friday? Been in the studio for two days…
9. When you realize your parents have a better social life than you
*cries in spending hours on projects*
10. When you can’t find one of your instruments
THE END OF THE WORLD.
11. When you become a scavenger for materials for your model
Toothpick, rubber bands, screws, straws almost anything on the floor is useful.
12. When you are tired of hearing “didn’t you wear this yesterday”
Is it your cloth? Is it your body? Please let me repeat my clothes in peace.
13. When you can’t remember what your bed feels like
Dear bed, I miss you.
14. When you are an expert photoshop, autocad, illustrator user but you fumble with Excel
See, some software programs are not really that important in this life.
15. When you tell your friend to wake you up and they forget
YOU WANT ME TO BE A FAILURE IN LIFE ABI?
16. When your boo doesn’t believe you forgot to reply or call on their birthday
See, I am sorry it’s not really my fault.
17. When you only think of sleep when you hear “weekend”
What is a turn up? Finally, I can have more than two hours of sleep.
If you have ever attended school in Nigeria, we are certain that you must have met all or some of these people at some point. Take a look.
1. The Party Promoter
They never stay in school and when they are in school they are wearing party shirts, with flyers and stickers talking about “how far, you dey show my party for Quilox?”
2. The Fashionista
They rate the “best dressed” award over anything else. Living and dressing up for class under the hot sun like its Lagos Fashion Week. Take it easy Sir/Ma
3. The Bookworm
These are the people whose parents used to ask them for the remaining two points when they got a 98 on a test. It is 5.0 or nothing. Getting a B is like cancer. What is a C?
4. The Drug Addict
These set of people are always under the influence of something. They spend time playing FIFA or writing lyrics dressed in the same type of attire.
5. The Big Plans Person
These ones have all the plans “When I graduate I’ll start working for Microsoft and buy a Ferrari”, “I’ll open my own clothing line and have stores in VI”. They haven’t done their homework though.
6. The Talkative
Every person on campus runs away from them. Just know it’s going to be a 10-hour gist session when they enter your room. Time wasters.
7. The Kleptomaniac
These people are magnets. They can steal anything from your underwear to your shirts and skirts or even your eyeballs if you’re not careful.
8. The Money Borrower
Their favorite tagline is “I need one huge favor” once you hear this. They are about to tell you how they need N15k to complete their school fees… Where do they do that at?
9. The Serial Cheater
Never reads for exams, but shows up to the hall first to select seats. You don’t want to seat beside them in an exam. “How far that number 1 – 4 theory and like 10 OBJ questions”.
10. The Jesus Disciple
These people can be a pain sometimes, they feel they are perfect. And you must be perfect, if not you are the devil.
11. The Library Addict
Their everyday typical conversations are cut short with: “I’m going to the library”, “I dey go jack”. They study more than the teachers actually.
12. The Seller
Aka lifesavers, they have everything for sale; sardines, milk, cold water, recharge cards, bathing soap, suya, cars, houses right there in the hostel. Just ask they have it.
13. The Photographer
In the classroom? Nah. Studying? Nope. Educational Activities? No. Photoshoot? Yes. They never leave their cameras and always emphasize they are photographers and the equipment they have.
14. The Students Rights Activist
They are the ones that fight for anything that comes up. No water in the morning, increased prices of textbooks/handouts, they almost always have their way.
Did we miss any other type of person? Let us know.
