The management of the University of Lagos( UNILAG) has explained the reason for asking students staying on campus to resume with mattresses.
Speaking with newsmen in an interview, the Head of the Information Unit of the university, Adejoke Alaga-Ibraheem said the institution asked them to come into the halls of residence with their mattresses and some other personal items due to health reasons.
She was reacting to complaints by parents and students that with the new fee regime introduced by the university, such items ought to be provided by the school.
Her words, “We asked the students to come with their own beddings for health reasons. That has been the practice for some time. It is not new. We are also working on the renovation of the various hostels. Some of them would be fully renovated before the students resume later in the month.
“Those whose renovation works might not be completed before the students resume, we are going to continue to work on them. We are working to make the hostels conducive for the students.
”As for the complaints that the hostel fees should be enough for the school to provide those items, we all know the situation in the country and the cost of the items. N65,000 for instance as a hostel fee for a year is not expensive going by what people pay for private accommodation.
”The management is mindful of the welfare of the students and we are making all efforts to make their stay on campus comfortable.”
One of the private hostels near UNILAG, Emerald Suites, charges as much as N184,500 per bed space for a four-man room and N200,000 per bed space for a two-man room.
