Occupants of the Angola Hall of residence at Obafemi Awolowo University took to the entrance of the hall of residence to protest the persistent water scarcity in the hall. The students, who began their demonstration early today at exactly 7 a.m., are demanding a new pumping machine as a temporary solution and a new borehole to permanently address the issue.
The students’ agitation stems from the university management’s inability to provide a reliable water supply, forcing them to fetch water from a nearby stream. Many students had resorted to buying sachet water for cooking and bathing, while others fetched water from the stream, which is drying up. The situation has become unbearable, with students describing it as detrimental to their daily activities and hygiene.
The university’s Quick Response Squad (QRS) team intervened early, bringing temporary calm to the situation. However, the students resumed their demonstration, vowing to escalate their action to the Vice Chancellor’s office if their demands were not met. The effort of the Speaker of the Students’ Union, Olakunle Oladapo, to intervene and bring calmness proved unsuccessful.
In an attempt to also intervene, a tanker of water from the university dam was brought to the students. However, they vehemently refused it, claiming the water caused skin rashes and was unsuitable for cooking.
The Vice Dean of the Division of Student Affairs, Dr. Olasunkanmi, also attempted to intervene, promising a temporary solution and a new borehole before the semester’s end. However, the students rejected his appeal for calm.
In an interview with our correspondence, Paul Tofade, an occupant of the hall shared his experience on how he has been facing a lot of challenges ever since he got to the hall, he stated that he has been fetching water at far away Moremi Hall of residence, he also stated that whenever there is water in the hall, the most convenient time to fetch was always overnight at around 2 a.m. till 5 a.m. daily because of the pumping machine issues. He further said that students from the hall always fetch water from the Postgraduate hall, where they can sometimes be chased away by postgraduate students.
An occupant of the hall, Imisioluwa Adelowo, a 100-level Law student, said, ‘We are facing hell here. We paid 50,000 for accommodations and an extra 3,000 for hall dues, yet we are fetching water from the stream. We are fetching water from far distances like FAJ Hall, Awo Hall, and PG Hall. The executives complained to the warden, yet nothing was done. We paid such a huge amount for accommodations, yet we are suffering from water scarcity. Sometimes, students don’t take their baths before going to morning classes.’
Kingsley, a student of Sociology and Anthropology, said, ‘We only get water between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m., and it is not enough. We have just two working tanks for over 800 people. Many of us use dam water, which gives us rashes. It is not fair.’
David from the Department of Microbiology added, ‘The dam water is dirty. We have had enough. Until a new borehole is constructed and clean water is provided, we reject the tanker water. We are not paying ₦50,000 to live in these conditions.’
Oladire Ezekiel, a Quantity Surveying student, said, ‘The water is not even good for cooking or bathing. Are we supposed to use it just to flush toilets? Some students now fetch water from the stream behind Angola.’ He further stated that last semester, some students went home sick from using the water.
Bakare Victor stated, ‘We have been complaining for months. Today, we protested, and now we’re seeing some movement. They’re finally starting to work on the borehole.’
In an interview with the chairman of Angola Hall of Residence, Kujembola Olamilekan, he stated that the hall has been grappling for water since the beginning of the 2023/2024 academic session. He added that the hall needs a permanent solution for the water supply for its occupants.
The chairman of the security council of the university, Professor Akinfala, stated that the University management will fix the broken taps and make sure water circulates around halls of residence on campus.
In a turn of events, a new pumping machine was brought to the hall while the students were still protesting, and calmness was restored. The students’ demands have been partially met, but the issue of water scarcity remains a pressing concern for the university community.