Nnamdi Daniel, a virtually-impaired student of the University of Nigeria (UNN), Nsukka, Enugu state, has been kicked out of his dormitory on Thursday, according to Alex Onyia, CEO of Educare, a school management program.
Onyia, in an X post on Thursday, alleged that the directive was issued by UNN’s director of housing and accommodations, Adibe Agbos.
Nnamdi Daniel, in a recorded interview with Alex Onyia and subsequently posted on X, had previously spoken out about the subpar state of the school’s housing, describing the “jungle” and “horror site” he and other students lived in at one of the hostels.
“Actually, my experience here has not been funny at all, especially as a visually impaired student. It hasn’t been funny at all”, Daniel had said in the video.
“Though we were given a restroom, currently the place is in a state of total mess. Even the entrance leading to it, the pipe that burst upstairs is releasing water downstairs, and even inside it, the place is better imagined than seen or experienced”, he had added.
Prior to then, UNN had come under fire after Onyia shared a number of images and videos on X that demonstrated the appalling condition of the school’s dorms.
Last month, he published a long story on the conditions of hostels in the school which happens to be is alma mata.
“I visited Eni Njoku hostel in UNN. What I saw broke my heart so deeply. Blind students live in these rooms I just walked past. Look at their frontage as well. They also share the same terrible toilets and bathrooms like other students. This can’t continue anymore.
“This is a male hostel for the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). Eni Njoku hostel, to be precise. Every student in this hostel is living worse than prisoners. We can’t continue this way”, he had written.
However, the university management has released a publication debunking the news that Daniel has been ejected out of his hostel.
The statement reads, “The Management of the University of Nigeria has taken note of a trending social media post alleging that a visually impaired student, Nnamdi Daniel, was ejected from his hostel for raising concerns about accommodation conditions. We wish to categorically state that this allegation is false and misleading.
“Over the past few weeks, the Directorate of Accommodation has intensified efforts to sanitize the hostels by ejecting illegal occupants in order to address the persistent issue of overcrowding and improve living conditions for students who are officially allocated bed spaces. The defaulting students were given 72 hours to vacate the hostels. This is coming after they have stayed in the hostel free for over two months.
“The ultimatum given to the defaulters has nothing to do with any press engagement as alleged. The student, referenced in the circulating report, had not yet made payment for hostel accommodation allocated to him. However, in line with the University’s tradition of empathy and inclusiveness, he was allowed to remain in the hostel pending when he will be able to pay for his space. Nnamdi Daniel is still in the hostel though he is yet to pay for the accommodation.”
ENigeria Newspaper confirms no update yet from tweep Alex Onyia on the UNN statement.
University of Nigeria (UNN), Nsukka, Enugu
Founded by former President Nnamdi Azikiwe in 1955, UNNwas opened on October 7, 1960. It was among Nigeria’s first-generation universities. The university has one campus in Aba, Abia State, and three campuses in the cities of Nsukka, Enugu, and Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu State.
