In what appears to be a ridiculous development, some of the men who stay at the entrance of the Hezekiah Oluwasanmi Library have taken to requesting money from students before allowing them to enter the library to read even with a valid library card
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My Experience
On Tuesday, April 23, I decided to go to the school library to read. When I got to the front of the man who was supposed to check my library card and give me access to go in, he asked for money and I told him I did not have any. Afterwards, he said, ‘I want to eat bread’. I was shocked. He told me to give him money to get bread. I told him that I did not have cash. His response was, ‘O lè ṣe transfer’. I responded in the affirmative. He discreetly called out his account number to ensure that other workers did not notice anything. As I tried to make the transfer, he kept saying, “Big bread.” I had to transfer money to the account he gave me before going into the library.
Other Students Share Experiences
Klistivivi explained that it has been a while since he went to the library, but from his experience, the men at the entrance always request money from people they are familiar with. He said, ‘When you want to enter the library and they are familiar with you, they can just ask you for something – Kí lo ni fún àwọn boys (what do you have for the boys)’.
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Another student, who wishes to remain anonymous, shared that while frequently using the library, one of the staff members began chatting with him occasionally. After offering the staff member some money, he became friendlier and allowed him entry even with an expired library card. The student mentioned that he also gave him money last semester.
David stated, ‘In a university environment, it shouldn’t be heard, and it’s a very bad thing’. He further stated, ‘It has gotten to a stage that sometimes, I don’t go to the library anymore just to avoid these people’.
Another student, who wishes to remain anonymous, explained an experience she had in part 2. It was during the exam period, and she went to the library to read. In the evening, when she was packing her books, the security guard at the library approached her to ask for money.
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Even in the face of an unfavourable economic situation in the country, which everyone is experiencing, the idea of asking for money from students is unwholesome. This could make most students uncomfortable, and some might refrain from visiting the library again because of this.